Council workers in East Dunbartonshire have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in protest against planned cuts to their terms and conditions.

The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition run authority is planning on reducing employee's annual leave and scrapping overtime entitlement.

A total of three-quarters of GMB trade union members backed taking strike action, with 97% of those eligible casting a vote.

The union says it now has a clear mandate to take action, which could see major disruption to bin collections, street cleaning and home care.

GMB Scotland organiser Hazel Nolan said: "Our members are sick and tired trying to make ends meet while doing more for less and this latest instalment of austerity shame is the final straw.

"The Tories and Lib Dems have rode roughshod over the recognised trade union bargaining forums and played gutter politics for the last six months to try and pick over £1m from the pockets of their employees.

"I doubt any of them have a clue about what it's like working on the bottom rungs of local government pay nor will they understand the importance of these terms and conditions to our members and their families."

Ms Nolan said the GMB would re-enter negotiations with the council "if they recognise the vital contribution our members make to local services and step-back from this shameful cash grab on hard-pressed staff".

Joint council leader Andrew Polson said: "The joint administration believes that progress can best be achieved by working with the trades unions and through constructive dialogue.

"While recognising the consultative ballots that GMB and other trades unions have run with their membership we hope to continue discussions in a constructive way."