COUNCIL services in Oxfordshire look set to be largely unaffected by a planned strike next month.

Members of Unison and the GMB across the UK have agreed to go on strike on Thursday, July 10, in protest at a public sector pay offer of about one per cent.

Nationally this means about one million public sector workers, including council staff, will walk out.

But Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council and Cherwell District Council all have local pay agreements which means their staff will stay at work.

Paul Smith, a spokesman for the county council, said the authority has an agreement with Unison but not with the GMB.

However, he said the number of GMB employees at the county council was “small”.

West Oxfordshire District Council said its staff would not be affected because not enough employees are union members. South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils did not comment when asked if they would be affected.

The National Union of Teachers’ is striking the same day, in its own pay dispute, but it is not known how that will hit county schools.

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