I WORK as a home care assistant in North Somerset. Alongside every nursery nurse, social worker, teaching assistant, care home and home care assistant I work hard to provide the essential services that our local community relies on. Despite my hard work

I WORK as a home care assistant in North Somerset. Alongside every nursery nurse, social worker, teaching assistant, care home and home care assistant I work hard to provide the essential services that our local community relies on. Despite my hard work, council bosses think I can survive on the miserly 2.45 percent pay increase deal they have offered this year. This goes nowhere near to covering the average increases in mortgage payments (eight per cent), petrol (21 per cent), gas and electricity (15 per cent) that I have to cope with. I spent winter juggling the red bills and economising on food. I'm angry that next year it looks as though I'll be doing the same. This month, as one of 850,000 UNISON members working in local government, I'll be making my voice heard in the strike ballot. I'll be voting to show the employers that council workers deserve better.NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED