Unison chief Dave Prentis has mounted a stinging attack on the government's actions on low pay and poor working conditions in local government and the private sector.

"As ministers' thoughts turn to the holiday season, they should spare a thought for those thousands of workers in the public services who have had their holidays taken away from them," Prentis said.

The union chief believes the government has soft-pedalled on moves to ensure the private sector offers decent employment rights.

Prentis also slammed ministers over their failure to extend all new rights being offered to health and education workers to their counterparts working for local authorities.

"There has been four years of dithering, delaying and deferring, and in all that time, thousands more hard-working public servants have been condemned to the misery of low pay and poor conditions," he told the Unison annual conference.