Trade union leaders have vowed to declare war on any council seeking to enforce local reforms to nationally agreed terms and conditions - it has emerged.

Leaders from the three main local government trade unions, who met yesterday, agreed the 1% employers' final pay offer to break the three-year town hall pay freeze was the best achievable result under the current circumstances.

However, Heather Wakefield, Unison head of local government told The MJ the unions unanimously deplored the employers' offer as falling way short of expectations.

Ms Wakefield said the unions would be consulting with their members to accept or reject the offer on this basis.  But she expressed the belief only sustained, all-out strike action would generate an improved offer and said the unions had reaffirmed they would not enter into talks over part two conditions in the ‘green book'– which affects annual leave, sick leave and parental rights.

According to Ms Wakefield, union chiefs are ‘very angry' at the letter sent by the Local Government Association's head of workforce, Sarah Messenger last month which asserted that she, GMB chief Brian Strutton and Unite's Frances Farmer had refused to countenance the most minor of changes to terms and conditions.

Ms Messenger informed the union chiefs the National Joint Council would ‘begin concentrating their efforts on assisting councils in whatever way possible to achieve reforms locally' given their lack of co-operation.

But Ms Wakefield said in way of response Unison is producing very detailed advice for its branches to help them resist cuts to allowances and benefits.

‘So if they want a war over what are already rock bottom allowances, they're going to get it – but it will be at local level,' Ms Wakefield said.   

GMB National Secretary for Public Services, Brian Strutton told The MJ the green book covers not only 80% of council staff but tens of thousands of contractors and academy school staff – soon to number in their hundreds of thousands if current expansion trends continue.

‘The national green book conditions provide an essential minimum safety net for so many workers that we will draw a line in the sand to defend it,' Mr Strutton said.

Mr Strutton added the union was particularly infuriated because the national employers' claim that the unions have refused to negotiate reform of the green book is ‘totally false'.

‘We have offered reform ideas and had many months' discussion and for the employers to try to blame the unions now is underhand and misleads every council,' said Strutton 

‘The fact is that the unions have been prepared to negotiate green book reform and still are.  But if the employers want to ride roughshod without negotiating we will resist that vigorously and up to industrial action,' Mr Strutton continued.

Unison's consultation is due to end on 12 June ahead of a Committee meeting the following day but the GMB and Unite will consult with their members until the beginning of July.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association declined to comment.