A union representing Coventry City Council workers has demanded a £1,000 pay increase for all its workers.

Unison says that the above-inflation offer of 3 per cent is an “insult” as the government has pledged to give more funding to local authorities.

Leaders also say that the council staff are giving high performance in “extremely difficult circumstances”.

To back their claim, the union has published details of a survey by independent pollsters MORI, which shows that more than half of the general public believe that home helps, classroom assistants and staff in old people's homes should be paid more.

Unison national secretary Malcolm Wing said:

"The public clearly value these staff more than councils do. Unless councils come up with the extra cash, more and more will leave for better paid jobs in the private sector.

“The increased demands of the so called modernisation agenda including Best Value reviews; Restructuring of services, and greater community expectations are placing very considerable pressures on staff.”

Coventry Branch Secretary Richard Harty added:

"Our members are facing unprecedented workloads and a culture of ‘more for less’ has gripped Coventry City Council.

“We are asking council members to affirm their commitment to their workforce, many of whom also pay council tax in Coventry. It is time that our annual pay increase reversed the trend for council worker salaries to fall behind the national trend."

The Coventry branch will also be supporting a national march and rally for a living wage, called in Manchester on 28 April.