Nearly 10,000 Birmingham City Council staff began voting yesterday on a strike ballot over changes to work and conditions, as tensions mount over plans to offshore 100 back office IT jobs to India.

Unison is balloting staff against the council's efforts to establish plans known as the 'Birmingham Contract.' The union argues the scheme would break nationally agreed terms and conditions, scrap payments for weekend and out of hours work and means staff could be moved without any regard to their personal circumstances.