'It's thrown me into the abyss': Merseyside council staff strike for 2 weeks amid accusations
Staff working for a Merseyside council are on strike for two weeks as accusations fly about who is to blame for the situation.
Staff at Wirral Evolutions, which operates Wirral Council-run day centres supporting disabled and vulnerable people across the borough, are on strike for two weeks from February 2 as part of a long-running dispute between the local authority and union Unison.
Strike action took place in 2025 and the union has hit out at the council accusing top bosses of not coming to the table. The dispute related to the grading of some workers’ pay within the service and comes at the same time the local authority is reviewing the service.
Staff have previously said the industrial action is a last resort but families have also criticised it with one saying “the strike action has thrown me into the abyss”.
In response, David Jones, Wirral Unison’s branch secretary said the decision was not taken lightly and their members “are passionate about their jobs and care very much about the people they support”, adding the union had tried to resolve the dispute through negotiation.
He said they remained open to meaningful talks to resolve the dispute, telling the LDRS: “When we have taken strike action, we have left significant gaps between each phase specifically to allow time for talks with the council. Our last action was on January 5, neither the director nor councillors have reached out to us in the intervening period.
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“Our last discussion with the director was on December 12, and with the councillors on November 6. Our members are left with the clear impression that the director and councillors have little or no interest in seeking a resolution. That is the reason why our members feel that they have to escalate the action.”
However, adult health services director Sayyed Osman MBE said: “There have been regular meetings between council officers and Unison representatives, supplemented by further discussions with the union involving myself as director, HR colleagues and elected members. Unfortunately, to date, we have not been able to resolve the dispute as we have not heard a workable proposal from Unison that could justify their demands.
“When Wirral Evolutions transferred back into the council, in consultation with unions, we undertook job evaluation as part of the commitment to the workforce. The roles were evaluated and the pay grades set. The unions asked for job evaluation to be carried out again, which it was, reaching the same outcome.
“In meetings with Unison, the council has confirmed its willingness to benchmark the roles again against similar jobs in the industry. We have also confirmed our willingness to look at how we can develop the job roles in any future service design and create opportunities for personal growth of the workforce and their development commensurate with pay grades.”
He added: “We want to work with the union to improve services for our most vulnerable and to see our workforce develop. However, what the union is asking for as part of this dispute is for their members to receive a level of pay that would not be consistent with other similar roles within the council and the day care industry.”