Gardeners consider strike action

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Dozens of gardeners in east London could take strike action following a pay dispute with a private contractor.

About 50 council gardeners working in Tower Hamlets are being balloted by the GMB union in the row with grounds maintenance firm Fountains.

Union leaders want a 3.5% increase on the total wage bill from the firm, based in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

The union has said the results of the strike ballot would be known by the end of September.

Taxpayers' money

Union officials accused the contractor of using taxpayers' money in other parts of their business instead of meeting their members' demands.

GMB official Bert Schouwenburg said: "Tower Hamlets Council is sitting on its hands and watching Fountains divert the borough's taxpayers' money to prop up their business elsewhere."

But a spokesman for Fountains said the company was working hard with the unions to resolve the dispute.

As far as the other unsubstantiated comments regarding the contract and company position are concerned, these are totally unfounded Fountains plc spokeswoman

"We are keen to settle this issue and therefore we are disappointed that it is being escalated by the GMB.

"The Tower Hamlets workforce has already received a pay rise averaging 5% in September 2006 which was only eight months before they approached the company for another."

She added: "As far as the other unsubstantiated comments regarding the contract and company position are concerned, these are totally unfounded."

A spokeswoman for Tower Hamlets Council said it could not directly intervene in pay negotiations between a contractor and its employees, but said it had carried out rigorous monitoring to ensure value for money.

Fountains won the £1.5m contract with Tower Hamlets in October last year to maintain the borough's parks and open spaces.