Strike brings chaos to libraries

7:09am Friday 23rd March 2007

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The library service across Hampshire was thrown into chaos again today as staff carried on their dispute.

More than 100 librarians took to the streets outside Hampshire County Council's headquarters in Winchester yesterday on the first day of their two-day strike.

It was called after the authority announced it was to shed one third of its librarian jobs under cost-cutting measures.

The vote for strike action was made at the start of February as news of the cuts to the library service were made public following the setting of the council's annual budget.

They include shedding 27 jobs and cutting £4,500 in pay from a further 17 library staff Public workers union Unison then balloted 400 members over the proposed strike action, with 87 per cent in favour.

Yesterday's strike saw 17 libraries and three mobile libraries stay shut due to the industrial action, while two more opened only on reduced hours.

Of the county's 54 libraries in total, a further eleven were either closed for refurbishment or because they are normally closed on Thursdays, leaving 21 open as normal.

Today bosses at HCC said they were expecting 18 libraries and three mobile libraries to stay shut, with four opening again on reduced hours, seven shut for non-strike reasons and 22 open as normal.