**EU staff plan to step up a protest against the refusal of many EU member states to allow a 3.7% pay rise.**Twelve EU countries, including the UK and Germany, argue that the pay settlement is inappropriate in the current tough economic conditions.
Unions voted to hold a one-day strike on Thursday at the European Council - the body that groups EU governments.
Hundreds of staff at EU institutions took part in a three-hour warning strike in Brussels on Monday.
The dispute - affecting nearly 45,000 civil servants - has put the European Council at loggerheads with the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm that drafts laws and acts as guardian of the treaties.
Basic gross monthly salaries for Commission staff currently range from 2,550 euros (£2,286; $3,720) for a secretary to 17,700 euros (£15,870; $25,823) for a head of department, the news website TheParliament.com reports.
The pay settlement for 2010 was based on 2008 figures, reflecting economic conditions that were much rosier at the time.
A complicated formula is used, based on civil service pay in eight of the EU’s richer countries.
The ambassadors of the 27 member states met on Wednesday, but failed to reach a deal.
A source close to the negotiations told the BBC that the Commission rejected a proposal to phase in the pay rise over two years.
The Commission argued that staggering the increase would be illegal and would have budgetary implications, the source said.
If the dispute is not resolved by the end of December it could be referred to the European Court of Justice.