Metropolitan Police services could face major disruption next month, with more than 140 civilian staff being balloted for strike action in a dispute over pay.

Members of the Unite union, including call handlers and fleet technicians, are preparing to walk out on 5 November, Fireworks Night, one of the busiest days of the year for the Met.

The workers, who handle emergency and non-emergency calls and maintain police vehicles across London, say they have not been offered a fair pay deal.

While police officers received a 4.2 per cent pay rise through the Police Remuneration Review Body, Unite says the Met has only budgeted for a below-inflation 2 per cent increase for staff, describing it as a "real-terms pay cut".

Unite also claims that, unlike police officers, staff were not initially offered an increase to their London allowance, which helps cover the higher cost of living in the capital.

They have since been offered a £625 lump-sum payment, which workers say does not go far enough to close the gap.

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: "It is an absolute disgrace that these workers have not been offered anything close to a meaningful pay rise, despite being integral to the Met Police's operations.

"Unite will not stand by and allow our members to be left high and dry when it comes to pay."

The ballot, which closes on 20 October, is being coordinated with other unions, including Prospect and PCS, to maximise impact.

Unite Regional Officer Keith Henderson added: "This strike action will undoubtedly cause disruption given the number of unions involved and the timing.

"But industrial action is entirely the fault of the Met – it needs to put its real-terms pay cut plans on the bonfire and come back with a decent offer."

The Met Police is currently facing a £260 million budget shortfall, with Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warning of "substantial tough choices" to come despite funding increases from central and local government.

A Met spokesperson said: "While we genuinely value officers and staff equally, pay and allowances are completely different, reflecting the fundamental differences in roles, responsibilities and expectations.

"In a shrinking Met with a £260m budget gap, we cannot justify spending millions to give staff the £1,250 award.

"We've made a reasonable alternative offer to settle the dispute and remain open to finding a solution."

The Met added that plans are being drawn up to minimise disruption and ensure it can continue to serve Londoners during any industrial action.

Unite is also campaigning against Met proposals to reduce the number of 24-hour front desks across London to just eight or fewer, warning the cuts could make it harder for the public to report crimes and result in job losses.

READ MORE: Munira Wilson warns Richmond could lose all public-facing police counters under Met cuts.

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