Stoke-on-Trent City Council will only carry out emergency housing repairs during four days of strike action this month.

Workers within the council's repair and maintenance service will be staging the walkouts on June 17, 18, 23 and 24 as part of a national dispute over pay and conditions.

More than a thousand Unite members at the city council and six other authorities in England are taking part in the industrial action, which the union says will cause 'severe disruption' to council tenants.

Unite claims the craftworkers deserve more than the 'paltry' 3.2 per cent pay increase offered by the Local Government Association.

The city council says it will work to minimise the impact of the strike, and has asked its 17,000 tenants to only report emergency repairs on the affected days.

A council spokesperson said: "This is a dispute between Unite, working in several parts of the country, and the national employers' association. We are disappointed the matter is not yet resolved and urge both parties to bring the matter to a swift conclusion.

"Our priority is to minimise the effects of the action on our tenants and residents, and we are planning our resources accordingly. While the action is ongoing, we will only be carrying out emergency works. We have asked tenants not to attempt to log routine issues on these dates and thank them for their patience."

Unite says the 3.2 per cent pay offer has followed a decade of pay freezes and below inflation increases. The union also opposes the removal of apprentices from the agreement and a new job evaluation process which it says will fail to reward craftworkers' skills and abilities.

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Unite national officer Jason Poulter said: "The local government employers have brought this dispute on themselves in the high handed and dismissive way they have treated proposed peace talks.

"Their contempt for highly skilled dedicated craftworkers has been demonstrated by their refusal to negotiate.

"The strike action will inevitably cause severe disruption to the lives of council tenants needing repairs and maintenance work. Even at this late stage the dispute can be resolved by the employers entering negotiations with realistic proposals to resolve this dispute."

The strike action will affect councils in Bristol, Southwark, Newham, Leeds and Babergh and Mid Suffolk, along with Stoke-on-Trent. Unite says craftworkers at other councils could join the dispute in future.

The LGA has previously expressed disappointment at Unite's decision, saying it will mean all craftworkers will have to wait longer for their 'long-overdue' pay increase.