All out

More than 7,500 school pupils will stay home as Fulford School, Carr Infants School, Hob Moor Oaks Special School, Applefields Special School, all in York, and Tadcaster Grammar School, Easingwold Secondary School and Selby High School shut their doors.

Meanwhile, bins will stand full outside hundreds of homes in York as they go uncollected. Libraries will shut their doors and more than 1,000 motorists will be hit as four of York's car parks remain closed.

Hundreds of regular swimmers in York will be left high and dry as the strike action leaves Edmund Wilson and Yearsley pools shut.

The chaos is the result of a national day of strike action being carried out by public service union Unsion, which is protesting about retirement rights. Ben Drake, Unison branch secretary, said: "Our members have been reluctantly forced to vote for strike action because of the Government's intransigence."

10,000 braced for strike day

A CASUALTY list of more than 10,000 youngsters, motorists, swimmers and householders will be affected when York, Selby, Tadcaster and much of North and East Yorkshire are crippled by a council staff strike.

More than 7,500 pupils will not go to school tomorrow as across the region, doors remain closed.

In York, four schools will shut, bins will go uncollected, car parks will stand empty and the city's two public swimming pools will remain closed, as public service Unison strikes.

One of the city's biggest secondary schools, Fulford School, will be among those to close, meaning 1,400 pupils missing a day of lessons, only weeks before the start of the exam season.

Other schools which will be closing are Carr Infant School, which has about 200 pupils; Hob Moor Oaks Special School, which has about 80; and Applefields Special School, which has about 130.In a letter to parents, Fulford School head teacher Stephen Smith wrote: "I have been in discussions with the union representatives at the school, and after their meeting they have informed me that there will be no caretaking staff to open and close the school, no cleaning staff, and insufficient kitchen staff to prepare meals.

"I have carried out a risk assessment and taken advice from the local authority over this, and owing to the number of staff involved and the size and nature of our site, I have no alternative but to close the school to students on health and safety grounds."

There will also be partial closures at Knavesmire nursery and Burton Green nursery schools.

In addition, a council spokesperson said residents whose refuse is normally collected on a Tuesday should expect a disrupted service.

Edmund Wilson and Yearsley swimming pools will also be closed, as will the car parks at Kent Street, Piccadilly, Shambles and Foss Bank. Other services to close are likely to include the finance centre and the city archive.

Andrew Waller, deputy leader of City of York Council, said: "It's really a dispute between the Government and the unions, which local authorities have very little power over. But it's unfortunate that the situation has arisen.

"We will be doing our best to maintain public services in the city. We have been trying to keep it to a minimum and, certainly, have concentrated on making sure the most vulnerable members of society are catered for."

Unison branch secretary Ben Drake said: "Our members have been reluctantly forced to vote for strike action because of the Government's intransigence.

"We're angry at the double-standard where civil servants, teachers and health workers have rightly had their right to retire protected, but we're excluded.

"Our members deliver vital services every day, from support in nurseries to care for the elderly - why should we be the poor relations?"

About six employees of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are also expected to strike.

Hambleton District Council officers are working to ensure the strike will cause minimal disruption, and all council offices and facilities will remain open, with phone lines staffed as normal.

However, refuse collection vehicles will be off the road. Green waste collections have been cancelled and brought forward one day. Any refuse collection workers who do not join the strike will be assigned other duties.

Julia Spittle, head of people and performance, said: "We do not know how many members of staff will join this strike so it is very difficult to assess the impact."

Disruption likely at nurseries

SERVICES in North and East Yorkshire will also be affected.

Selby High School, Tadcaster Grammar School and Easingwold Secondary School will all close, as will Childhaven Community Nursery, Brougham Street Community Nursery, Overdale Community Primary, Springwater Special School, East Whitby Primary, and Whitby Community College.

Many other schools will have lesson changes, or limited school meal provision.

Barlby library will also be closed, while Scarborough and Harrogate libraries will have a reduced service. The following adult day centres will be closed: Ashlands Centre, Northallerton; 59 Newbiggin, Richmond; 68A High Street, Starbeck; Selby Day Centre; Scarborough Training Centre; Cauwood, Malton; Duke Street, Settle; South Craven Day Services, Navigation House.

Carl Les, North Yorkshire County Council's executive member for corporate services, said: "The county council has very good working relations with unions and has worked with the main union involved locally, Unison, to minimise the level of disruption."

Non-police staff employed by Humberside Police will also strike. A spokeswoman said: "The force has put in place contingency plans to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum."

Updated: 12:17 Monday, March 27, 2006