A union leader has threatened to bring the Bradford district “to a standstill” after voting in favour of strike action in a row over pensions.

Unison, which has around 10,000 members in the district, including dinner ladies, refuse collectors and social workers, backed a campaign of industrial action yesterday.

The union is now set to strike on November 30, when teachers, civil servants and other public sector workers including West Yorkshire Police and NHS staff will also be staging a walkout – the biggest in the UK for decades.

Bradford Unison branch secretary Linda Crowther said: “We have had to take strike action because the Government is not willing to negotiate with the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the leaders of the unions.

“With the support of the other trade unions, I would envisage that Bradford will come to a standstill.

“That is what we want to do to demonstrate to the Government that the membership of the trade unions is behind us.”

The national ballot was the biggest in union history, with Unison sending out 1.1 million voting papers to its members, along with a strong recommendation to back strikes. Unison said 245,358 voted in favour, with 70,253 against.

Unions are pressing ahead with plans for the strike despite a new Government offer on public sector pensions.

Ministers warned that the offer could be withdrawn if there was no agreement reached by the end of the year.

Mrs Crowther, who is also the joint staff-side secretary for Bradford’s union members, said: “The Govern-ment did put forward some new suggestions and our negotiators have welcomed those. However, they do not deal with the two main issues. They are wanting us to pay more in pension contributions and work longer and that is where we are looking for some kind of concessions.”

Senior Unison officials were meeting throughout the afternoon yesterday to discuss the latest Government statement on pensions and to decide what action to take as a result of the ballot.

The Telegraph & Argus reported yesterday that bosses at Airedale Hospital were drawing up contingency plans to protect patients if there was a walk-out. A spokesman for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust yesterday said it would continue to work with the unions to make sure that urgent care carried on as normal on November 30.