Council house repair staff will go on strike again next week as their dispute with employers continues.

Unite members at Stoke-on-Trent City Council's repairs and maintenance service took part in four walkouts last month as part of a national dispute over pay and conditions.

The trade union has announced that further strike action will take place on Monday and Wednesday, meaning more disruption for Stoke-on-Trent's 17,000 council tenants.

More than a thousand craftworkers at the city council and six other authorities are expected to go on strike.

Unite members rejected a 3.2 per cent pay increase offered by Local Government National Employers, which they say do not make up for previous pay freezes and below inflation rises.

Jason Poulter, Unite national officer for construction, said: "As the employers are still treating these skilled workers with contempt by refusing to negotiate, our members have been left with no choice to take further action.

They are standing strong in their fight for a better deal on pay and to protect their conditions."

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham added: "Local government craftworkers have been undervalued with paltry pay increases for far too long. These workers deserve far better and Unite is fully behind them as they escalate strike action."

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Prior to last month's industrial action, the city council warned its tenants that only emergency housing repairs would be carried out on the strike days.

The city council has been approached for comment.