CHILDREN’S social workers in Kirklees are to walk out tomorrow to attend a rally in support of their dispute with Kirklees Council.
The action is over workloads, numbers of agency staff, inconsistent management, inadequate workplaces, lack of a travel plan and inadequate IT support.
More than 250 Unison members voted to take part in strike action in January, but a one-day strike planned for that month was cancelled due to the offer of talks with management.
Paul Holmes, Kirklees Unison branch secretary, said: “No one wants to strike but someone has to ‘get hold’ of this dispute.
“Social workers are leaving the Council at a rate of knots.
“Two new social workers started work in Kirklees Council a fortnight ago and handed in their notice after an hour.
“All our members in children’s social work will be walking out at 3pm on Thursday, March 2, to attend a rally to prove their support for these issues and to urge the Council to give the dispute the priority it deserves.”
The action follows a critical Ofsted report in November.
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