Almost half of Aberdeen schools are expected to be forced to close as hundreds of catering and cleaning staff strike over pay on Thursday.
Staff voted overwhelmingly in favour of starting a 48-hour stoppage following the collapse of talks between Aberdeen City Council and unions.
The wrangle is over equal pay legislation, with workers claiming thousands of pounds in back pay.
The council said the strike action "defied belief".
The union had already received a mandate for strike action but hoped talks earlier this week would reach a compromise position, putting the stoppage on hold.
But the negotiations collapsed after several hours on Tuesday.
'Very disappointed'
The staff, mainly female catering, cleaning, clerical and care workers, claimed they were owed money because of equal pay legislation, some worth up to £25,000.
The council is proposing to give out £13.5m in retrospective pay to about 2,000 staff.
T&G union spokesman Tommy Campbell told BBC Scotland: "We're very disappointed in the council. We most certainly would have suspended the action pending further time to have a proper ballot on any improved offer from the council."
However council leaders said they were frustrated and dismayed, and claimed the offer was the best made by any local authority in Scotland.
They said action would delay the process of making payments to the council staff.
Letters have already gone out to some parents advising them that schools could close on Thursday and Friday.
It is thought more than 30 of Aberdeen's 77 schools could be closed by the strike action on Thursday, and even more on Friday.
Story from :
BBC NEWS
Published: 2006/03/08 22:18:12 GMT
