Business

Civil servants at several government departments will take part in a month of sustained industrial action from mid-December.

Members of the PCS union who work for the Home Office, Border Force, Department for Transport and Defra are seeking better pay and conditions.

Ports, borders, and all areas of transport, including driving licences, will be affected, as some workers take action for the entire month while others will walk out for shorter periods.

PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said the exact details of the action will be announced nearer the time to give the government as little notice as possible.

He said ministers should be dealing with the causes of the dispute rather than making contingency plans.

He added: “PCS members are angry.

“They helped to keep this country running during the pandemic, and in return, have been treated appallingly by this government.

More from UK

He said: “With inflation now at 11.1%, it is inconceivable that they are expected to cope with yet another real terms pay cut.

Read more:
Royal Mail workers to stage six more strikes – including Christmas Eve
RMT members vote for further six months of strike action for rail workers

“With tens of thousands of members on poverty pay it is no longer about tightening belts, but about choosing between heating and eating – and that is simply not acceptable for the government’s own workforce.”

The union wants a 10% pay rise, pensions reform, job security and assurances that redundancy terms will not be cut.

Mr Serwotka repeated a suggestion he made last month that co-ordinated action could be taken in the new year by joining with other unions, such as those representing rail workers, university lecturers, firefighters, NHS staff and Royal Mail workers.

He called for Cabinet Office officials to “come back to the table prepared to meet our demands”,

Articles You May Like

Met Police chief to meet home secretary after calls for him to quit over antisemitism row
How a climate tech founder is growing his advisory board, including Larry Summers
Trail of destruction in Lebanon’s ‘ghost towns’ – as daily explosions fuel fears of escalating war
Five people found dead in house
Tesla Model 3 Performance is 3 days old and already got a $1k price hike