Warning to Customers Over National Strike

North Norfolk District Council is asking customers to try to avoid contacting its offices next Tuesday, 28 March, because industrial action across the country may have a serious effect on services locally.

Some 61% of NNDC staff (a total of 221 people) belong to public sector union UNISON, whose national membership voted in favour of taking one day of industrial action over proposed changes to local government pensions.

NNDC has about 360 employees including part-time staff. These work at the Council's Cromer headquarters and the Fakenham area office, and in satellites like sports centres on school grounds and tourist information centres.

While the Council is drawing up plans to ensure it can at least fulfil its duties to tackle emergency issues, homelessness and dangers to public health, at this stage it is impossible to forecast accurately how many staff will be at work on Tuesday and the worst case scenario is that Council offices will be closed. So if customers can plan to do business with NNDC on a different day, they are urged to do so.

NNDC's Chief Executive, Philip Burton, said: "If people have any way of avoiding contact with us on that day, we would recommend that they do so. We won't be able to provide services of the level and standard people would normally expect, but we are doing what we can to ensure that we will be open, and that we are here for emergencies."

NOTES FOR EDITOR

• Background information about the strike is available from the Local Government Association Media Office on 020 7664 3333.

• The UNISON spokesman at NNDC is North Norfolk Local Government Branch Chairman Andy Mitchell on 01263 516149.

ENDS