The public service union Unison has called on the government to step in and avert a one-day strike of local council workers later this week.

More than a million workers are planning to stage a walk-out on Wednesday over a pay dispute.

They have been offered a 3% rise, but want 6%, to bring the lowest paid council worker's salary up to �11,000 a year.

Another union accused councils of "widespread intimidation" of workers ahead of the strike.

The Transport and General Workers Union said workers across the country were being threatened with privatisation, redundancy, pay and pension cuts and disciplinary action if they joined Wednesday's action.

'Shameful'

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said the rise would give 270,000 members an increase of 15p an hour.

He said it was "shameful" that the government was not doing more to avert the action.

"They should stop sticking their heads in the sand and pretending this strike has nothing to do with them," he said.

He said the government could stop the strike by increasing grants to local authorities by 2.1%, allowing them to pass on the increase to their workers.

And he said more money would have to go into wages if services such as health and education were to improve.

There comes a point when they have to stand up and say enough is enough

Kevin O'Brien Unison

Unison claims the increase is particularly needed in London.

Kevin O'Brien, a member of the union's Greater London executive committee, said his members could not afford to live in the city.

"People can't afford to pay their mortgages," he told the BBC.

"There comes a point when they have to stand up and say enough is enough."

Bargaining

Mr O'Brien predicted it was "inevitable" that there would be further strikes if the workers' pay demands were not met.

Last month, more than 1.4m local government workers voted for a series of one-day stoppages, with the first scheduled for 17 July.

If the stoppages go ahead, they will be the first national council workers' strikes since the 1979 Winter of Discontent which helped bring down the Labour government.

The workers are the biggest bargaining group in Europe and include cleaners, school meals staff, refuse collectors, social workers, architects and housing benefit employees.