PCS: Massive support on first day over civil service strike

Monday, 8 March 2010 12:00 AM

There was widespread disruption today as civil and public servants from across the UK went on strike on the first day of a 48 hour stoppage over cuts to redundancy terms.

The two day strike, called by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is over changes to the civil service compensation scheme which will see staff robbed of up to a third of their entitlements and lead to loyal civil and public servants losing tens of thousands of pounds if they are forced out of a job.

The union fears that the government wants to make it easier for whoever wins the general election to cut low paid civil and public servants on the cheap.

The union rubbished Cabinet Office claims that the strike wasn't well supported, estimating that well over 200,000 stayed away from work, on the first day of the two day strike. The first day of strike action led to:

· The cancellation of crown and county court sittings across England and Wales. A large number of courts are having 'administration days'.
· The majority of jobcentres offering minimal service to the public.
· Solid support among civilian staff working for the Met Police, including 999 operators, community support officers and House of Parliament security.
· The cancellation of an estimated 2,000 driving tests.
· Only the ground floor in the Victoria and Albert museum was open to the public.
· The cancellation of passport appointments across the UK. 260 were cancelled in London alone. In Glasgow only 10 out of a workforce of 190 were in work.
· Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) officers are on strike resulting in the closure of regional bases. In the North West only seven SOCA operatives out of a workforce of 183 were on duty. In Kent the firearms team were all out.
· Over 3,200 Revenue and Customs staff were on strike in the giant Long Benton centre in Newcastle.
· Out of 700 staff in Dundee's HMRC contact centre, 660 are on strike.
· 70% of UK Border Agency staff were on strike at Gatwick airport resulting in disruption.
· Over 90% of UKBA staff at Dover and on juxtaposed controls in Calais, Dunkirk, Coquelles and Boulogne were out on strike. This resulted in only two officers have been covering border controls at Coquelles.
· The custody suite at the port of Dover was closed.
· Picket lines at the House of Commons for the first time in a generation.

In a separate dispute, around 1,000 PCS members working for Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services were also striking in a two day stoppage over pay freezes and job losses. Those taking part in the HP stoppage work mainly on IT contracts for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and General Motors Services. The four HP sites involved are Newcastle, Washington, Preston and the Fylde Coast.

Tomorrow sees the second day of the strike when there will also be a march in central London which will finish with a rally in Westminster Cathedral Hall, Ambrosden Avenue, SW1P 1QW. The march starts at 11:30am from alongside the Imperial War Museum and is expected to arrive at Westminster Cathedral Hall at 12:45. Speakers at the rally which starts at 1pm include, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, Janice Godrich PCS president (chair), Bob Crow RMT general secretary, Jeremy Dear NUJ general secretary, John McDonnell MP, Kevin Courtney NUT deputy general secretary.

Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "There has been a fantastic show of support for the strike action today with civil and public servants walking out across the UK. The government needs to stop burying its head in the sand and wake up to the scale of anger that has been generated by their plans to cut jobs on the cheap.

"Loyal civil servants face losing tens of thousands of pounds if they are forced out of their jobs. The government is tearing up their contracts in front of their eyes, yet claims it can do nothing about bankers' bonuses because of contractual obligations. We expect support for the industrial action to grow and call on the government to reach an negotiated agreement."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

For further information, interviews and comment please contact Alex Flynn PCS national press officer on 020 7801 2747 or 07833 978216.

PCS, the Public and Commercial Services Union is the union representing civil and public servants in central government. It has more than 300,000 members in over 200 departments and agencies. It also represents workers 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.

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