The biggest strike involving council workers since the infamous "winter of discontent" dispute of 1978-9 will impact on council services across England and Wales.

Schools have been shut and services withdrawn on Wednesday as workers strike over the 3% pay offer made by their employers.

John Edmonds, head of the GMB union, whose members are taking part in the action, says too many workers are poorly paid.

But Sir Jeremy Beecham, chairman of the Local Government Association, says the offer is all that councils can afford to make in the current economic climate.

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John Edmonds

There was an overwhelming vote in favour of industrial action.

But this is a totally unnecessary strike. There have been no proper negotiations since the beginning of the year.

There is a very big problem of low pay in local government - over a quarter of a million people, many of them women, are earning less than �5 an hour.

Local authorities have got to show some responsibility to their staff and they should resume negotiations.

The low pay issue has got to be addressed.

This is the 21st century. Public service provision is mean to be top of the political agenda.

Scotland already has a minimum wage of �5 an hour - why can't we do this in England and Wales?

We have given local authorities all the room in the world to try to get their act together.

We have many low-paid people here who provide those social services on which civilised society depends.

I hope this strike will achieve the end of the worst sort of pay in local government.

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Sir Jeremy Beecham

There has not been an overwhelming vote in favour of the strike.

Less than a quarter voted for industrial action and in Unison the vote was very close.

Our offer is fair in all the circumstances - 3% is the going rate in the economy as a whole. It is against a 1% inflation rise.

It is affordable. Councils have to look at what they can actually afford in the light of the pressure of circumstances.

There is an issue of low pay and it is a matter of concern.

Low-paid employees in local government are still better paid - than for example those in the health service - with better conditions.

The pay offer suggested by the unions would come to 12% and that is simply not affordable.

You have to pay the rate for the job and that is what we think this does.

The government has taken measures to help the low-paid, such as the Working Families Tax Credit.

The 3% we have offered is the most councils can afford and many councils cannot afford that without cutting services further - that is in nobody's interest.