A union has announced a new strike date of 15 March, when Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to unveil his spring budget…reports Asian Lite News
More than 100,000 civil servants are to strike on budget day in an escalation of a dispute over pay, pensions and job security.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has announced a new strike date of 15 March, when Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to unveil his spring budget.
It follows a strike last week that saw hundreds of thousands of members in 123 government departments walk out across England, Scotland and Wales.
The union warned that next month’s strike could include a further 33,000 members working for 10 more employers, including HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), whose ballot results are due on 28 February.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said, “Rishi Sunak doesn’t seem to understand that the more he ignores our members’ demands for a pay rise to get them through the cost-of-living crisis, the more angry and more determined he makes them. PCS members are suffering a completely unacceptable decline in their pay. By April, one third of HMRC staff, for example, will be earning just the minimum wage. 40,000 civil servants have used a foodbank. It’s an appalling way for the government to treat its own workforce.”
Serwotka said the prime minister “can end this dispute tomorrow if he puts more money on the table”.
He warned: “If he refuses to do that, more action is inevitable.”
The PCS union is calling for a 10% pay rise, protections to pensions and protections from job cuts. The government has said the demands – which it says would cost £2.4 billion – are unaffordable.
The dispute is becoming increasingly bitter with Mr Serwotka calling talks last month to prevent the action a “complete farce” and warning future strikes “will be even bigger” if ministers do not act.
The strikes have impacted several key government departments and agencies including Border Force, National Highways, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
The new members being balloted include those working for HMRC, the Welsh government, the Care Quality Commission and Companies House.
Civil servants are among the thousands of public sector workers striking over pay and conditions amid soaring inflation and a decline in living standards.
Nurses continued with their industrial action today after walking out on Monday alongside paramedics and call handlers in what was the largest strike in NHS history.
Environment Agency workers will walk out tomorrow, while teachers and university staff will continue with strikes next week.
Union leaders have implored the government to act to prevent further strike action, but ministers in England have indicated that they will not budge on one of the main points of contention – pay for 2022/23.
The Spring Budget in March will see Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who is in charge of the government’s finances, outline to the House of Commons his plans for taxation and spending.
The government has previously offered civil servants a 2% to 3% pay rise, but union bosses have been calling for a rise of 10%, a similar level to the rate of overall inflation in the UK, which is at a 40-year high.
Price rises have been squeezing household budgets and there has been a wave of strikes across the UK in sectors ranging from healthcare to railways in recent months.
The government said it valued the work of civil servants and added it was “committed to constructively engaging with unions”.
“But the PCS Union’s demands would cost an unaffordable £2.4bn at a time when our focus must be on bringing down inflation to ease the pressure on households across the country,” a spokesperson said.
“That is why public sector pay awards strike a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, while delivering value for taxpayers and being careful not to drive even higher prices in the future.”
More PCS strikes are planned this week with action at the DWP Liverpool, Bolton and Stockport this week. Further strikes involving members at the British Museum, DVLA, Animal and Plant Health Agency over the course of February.
The Border Force will also launch four-day walkouts on 17, 18, 19 and 20 February at four ports – Dover, Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk – to coincide with school half-term holidays. This will be Border Force’s second strike after it staged strikes at airports over Christmas.
Other unions are also planning to take action in February. Groups including nurses, railway workers, emergency services staff, teachers, and university workers will all participate in major strikes over the course of the month.
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