Stretched council services are set to be put under further strain if members of trade union Unison go on strike later this month.

Hundreds of people who work at councils across the west of Scotland have voted to walk out in a pay dispute.

The move could affect a range of council departments, including social work and land and environmental services.

Unison branch secretaries were summoned to a meeting in Glasgow on Friday where the union leadership revealed that 53.5% supported industrial action.

Talks between union leaders and council umbrella body Cosla broke down last year and a 1% pay increase for both 2013/14 and 2014/15 was imposed.

Unite and GMB members took the deal but 65% of Unison members voted for an industrial ballot in July.

The leadership has demanded an additional £1 an hour for every worker, meaning those who work a 35-hour week would be in line for a £1,872 per year pay increase.

The union's regional officer for local government, Dougie Black, said: "Unison has consulted members and has a democratic decision and a mandate to take further action. Branch secretaries could not have been clearer at our meeting on Friday. What was discussed was not whether we should take action but how."

Cosla's human resources spokesman, Councillor Billy Hendry, said: "I wrote to Unison making a personal plea that they back away from a harmful strike which will serve no purpose and hit the pockets of their member's weeks before Christmas but it seems I have been ignored.

"We should be concentrating our efforts on the next round of negotiations next month, which are now threatened as a consequence of this decision."

peter.swindon @eveningtimes.co.uk