PCS: Excellent support on first day of call centre strike

Thursday, 20 January 2011 12:00 AM

Around 2,400 Department for Work and Pensions call centre workers have walked out on the first day of a 48-hour strike against oppressive working conditions, the Public and Commercial Services union says.

The union said 85% of its members in the seven newest Jobcentre Plus call centres joined the action. PCS represents about 70% of the 3,500 staff who have been forcibly moved from processing benefit claims to handling enquiries by phone.

Picket lines were well attended at the centres in Bristol, Glasgow, Newport in south Wales, Norwich, Makerfield near Wigan, Manchester and Sheffield.

The union has accused Jobcentre Plus of having "an obsession" with hitting call centre targets at the expense of providing a good quality public service. PCS members want to be allowed to deal properly and professionally with the calls they receive and stop having to fob customers off simply to meet arbitrary targets.

Jane Aitchison, PCS DWP group president, said: "Unnecessary targets not only put unacceptable pressure on our members, they mean callers are not receiving the level of service they deserve. When people call us about their benefits, they're not talking about their telephone line, it's about their lifeline."

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "The level of support for today's strike shows the strength of feeling among our members. Jobcentre Plus management need to take note and talk to us about how to resolve this dispute."

ENDS

Notes

- For information and interview requests contact PCS national press officer Richard Simcox on 020 7801 2747 or 07833 978216

- The Public and Commercial Services union represents civil and public servants in central government. It has more than 300,000 members in over 200 departments and agencies, and in parts of government transferred to the private sector. PCS is the UK's sixth largest union and is affiliated to the TUC. The general secretary is Mark Serwotka and the president is Janice Godrich

- Follow PCS on Twitter

Tags: