THEY are the forgotten workers. The people who empty our bins, care for the housebound, feed our school children and run libraries, parks and museums.

But today they are not forgotten. Today we will discover how much we rely on Britain's 1.3 million council workers.

The first ever national strike of local government workers - and the largest strike by British women ever - has closed schools, swimming pools and car parks. Thousands of people have been inconvenienced by the walkout.

Council workers are striking because they are angry. They are angry at pay levels that leave nearly a quarter of them earning less than £5 an hour.

They are fed up with doing more work to satisfy Best Value initiatives, while regularly being told that the private sector could do the job better.

They are annoyed that more high-profile public sector workers, such as teachers and nurses, have enjoyed higher pay awards.

They are infuriated by a public sector system that pays the chief of East Riding of Yorkshire Council a 34.5 per cent salary rise worth £36,000, then offers 15p an hour extra to thousands of the lowest-paid council workers.

This anger is understandable. However, their claim for an immediate six per cent pay rise is not about to be met, strike or no strike.

We are well into the financial year. Councils set their budgets months ago. In his spending spree on Monday, Chancellor Gordon Brown did not provide enough money to local government to fund the workers' claim.

Council employers point out that their offer of a three per cent rise is well ahead of inflation. To double it would cost the equivalent of £80 a year on council tax bills.

There is a way forward. Both sides should sit down to negotiate a longer-term deal, with a three per cent rise now followed by inflation-busting increases in the next two years.

This should be funded by central Government. Mr Brown and Co cannot dismiss this dispute as just a little local difficulty.

Updated: 10:46 Wednesday, July 17, 2002