Unions representing more than a million council workers are to lodge a pay claim of 6%.

Unison, the GMB and Unite said they wanted the rise to cover one year from April despite attempts by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown to agree three-year pay deals in the public sector.

The claim would give a minimum wage of £6.50 an hour for local government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It covers all grades of workers in local government, including refuse collectors, school meals, social workers, administrators, cleaners, teaching assistants, parks and leisure, and librarians.

Unison national officer Heather Wakefield says: "Despite the headline figure, this is a modest claim. No one could argue that an increase of 50p an hour fuels inflation.

"Over the past three years local government workers' pay has increased by less than the rate of inflation, so we are starting from a low base. We need to make sure that they catch up with the rest of the public sector and that they are cushioned against inflation over the coming year."