UP TO a quarter of employees working at Wiltshire County Council could take part in a series of 24-hour strikes in a row over pay.

Trade union UNISON is balloting 1,400 members at the county council asking them to back strike action over poor pay and take part in a series of national strikes next month.

Union representatives say county councils nationwide are facing a recruitment crisis with many workers earning less than £5 an hour.

County council chiefs are now drawing up emergency plans to stop strike action affecting vital services.

The result of the ballot is expected later this month, with the strike action due to take place by the middle of July.

Janet Dapson, branch secretary of the Wiltshire UNISON branch based in Trowbridge, said more than 277,000 local government employees earn less than £5 an hour, while councillors' allowances and chief executives' pay packets are on the rise.

She said: "A home care worker can earn more in a supermarket, with far less stress. Almost every council in the UK, like Wiltshire County Council, faces a recruitment crisis.

"Local government pay has fallen badly behind other public sector workers such as nurses, teachers and police over the last ten years.

"UNISON members doing vital jobs in Wiltshire County Council, such as home carers, classroom assistants, school meal workers, librarians and environmental health officers, have become the poor relations of the private sector."

A Wiltshire County Council spokesman said 1,400 of the 6,000 council employees were UNISON members and contingency plans were being drawn-up in case of strike action next month. He said: "All of the chief officers are preparing contingency plans to make sure services will be maintained.

"We want to ensure all services are kept to a normal level. We don't even know if there will be strike action yet.

"It will only affect the services provided directly by us, including Social Services.

"We understand there will be 24-hour strikes so we have to prepare for them."

The recruitment crisis at the county council follows on from a similar crisis at West Wiltshire District Council in April.

Staff were reportedly leaving their posts for less senior roles with other councils who were offering higher salaries.

Some departments were rumoured to be in danger of collapse.