Coventry youth workers enter eleventh week of industrial action

The next strikes will take place on Friday (5 February) and centre on Coventry City Council's plans to cut around £360,000 from its youth service. The cuts will mean reductions in the terms and conditions for part time youth workers, while some parts of the youth service will be outsourced to the private and voluntary sector.

Union Unite claims that some of its lowest-paid members in Coventry are facing cuts in their annual salary of up to £10,000.

"The council is pulling apart the once internationally renowned children's and youth service in Coventry It is making the poorest paid and most skilled part-time women workers pay for the cuts programme and it is planning to sell off a depleted service with ‘cheaper' staff contracts to the private sector," said Unite national officer, Youth and Community Workers, Doug Nicholls. "The council has already spent £68,000 on private consultants which could have been spent on boosting the youth service. Our members won't give up until this very damaging policy is reversed."