Chester-le-Street council workers preparing to ballot for strike action over low pay claim female workers are paid a third less than their male colleagues.

Unison, the largest trade union representing local government workers, is calling for industrial action among council workers across the country over wages.

The workforce is demanding a pay rise of either £1,750 or six per cent to tackle the growing inequality between local government staff and other public sector workers.

So far they have only been offered three per cent, which in some cases will result in an increase of just 15p an hour.

At Chester-le-Street District Council, staff will ballot on June 10. Pauline Hanna, Unison branch secretary for the council workers, said two-thirds of staff at the council were paid less than £13,000 and the situation was worse for female employees.

She said: "On average a woman working for Chester-le-Street District Council takes home only 66p for every £1 a male colleague earns. Meanwhile, councillors' allowances are rising fast.

"We really just want everyone in the district on our side. If they refuse our requests there will be a one-day strike, which I really don't want. But sometimes you just have to make a stand. It's a last resort."

To highlight the gender gap in pay, female council workers from across the region planned to dress up as men this Thursday and deliver 'bills' to local authorities.

But the organisation representing employers in negotiations with Unison claims that councils will struggle to even meet the three per cent pay rise offered to all employees. The North East Regional Employers' Organisation (Nereo) has been representing the 25 local authorities in the North-East.

Director Michael Brodie said: "The £1,750 pay increase they're asking for is actually more than a 19 per cent pay rise for people at the lowest end of the scale and an 11.8 per cent increase across the table. For a larger metropolitan council that's about an extra £20m.

"One question the unions cannot answer is where on earth an authority would get that kind of money? It certainly wouldn't come from central government."

If the workers vote in favour of strike action, public services affected include refuse collections and services offered by home carers, classroom assistants, librarians and environmental health officers.