YORK could be brought to a standstill if the Government continues to press ahead with cuts to local authority pension schemes, a union leader claimed today.

Local government workers ranging from teaching assistants to refuse collectors are being balloted for strike action by the unions.

Possible action has been on the cards for nearly a year, due partly to moves to raise the retirement age for some public sector workers. Changes would mean many will have to work past the age of 60, something that was not mentioned in local authority contracts at the start of employment.

Unions want their members to be offered the same deal as colleagues working in other areas of the public sector.

Ben Drake, York secretary of public service union Unison, said: "Strike action will mean shutting down all council services in York, which would obviously have a terrible impact on the city.

"All services across the board will make a stand other than those that are life and limb, such as hospitals.

"All our members feel very strongly about pensions. We certainly don't want to take strike action, but members will press ahead if the Government carries on. The mood is there to take action.

"Workers have been paying into their pension schemes in good faith for years and for the Government to suddenly change the rules is deeply unfair. We want to see private pension schemes being saved and ultimately a fair pension for all."

The Government is now facing the threat of the biggest industrial dispute since the General Strike in 1926, with eight unions involved nationally, representing 1.5 million workers.

The Fire Brigades' Union is also to ballot its members for strike action over related pension cutbacks. Firefighters are angry because police, ambulance and coastguard services have been granted protection for current members of their pension schemes, but they have not.

Ian Watkins, Fire Brigades' Union official for North Yorkshire, said: "North Yorkshire firefighters are feeling incensed and very angry about the changes. We are currently consulting our members over the imposed pension changes being forced on us."

A spokesperson for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said: "A strike ballot is a matter for the trade unions. We want to continue holding meetings as planned to discuss necessary reform of the (local government pension) scheme with all interests, including the unions.

"Negotiations regarding the terms of the benefits package offered by the scheme, and how its costs are met between employees and employers, is a key area for the trade unions and employers."

Updated: 10:36 Thursday, January 26, 2006