THE result of a strike ballot by hundreds of thousands of council workers will be known on March 9.

The threat of a pre-election strike by workers in a row over pensions came a step closer when the country's biggest union announced the ballot.

Unison said 800,000 of its members in England, Wales and Scotland will vote over the next few weeks on whether to take industrial action in protest at changes to their pension scheme and retirement age.

Any strikes could start soon after March 9, just weeks before the general election, widely expected to be on May 5.

Unison's general secretary Dave Prentis said: "We have told the Government that our members will not accept these changes to their pension scheme and that we will take action to fight them.

"The average pension for a local government worker is £3,800 a year and we feel that is too low. Local government workers have very difficult and stressful jobs, so forcing them to work longer, and for a smaller payout, is unacceptable. They will be working themselves to an early grave."