Partner Article

Thousands to go on strike

Up to 25,000 civil servants across the region are expected to cause havoc for the Government today as they begin a 48-hour strike to protest over changes to redundancy terms.

Jobcentre staff, tax workers, coastguards, border agency officials, courts staff and driving test examiners are just some of those that will take part in the industrial action.

Leaders say the two-day stoppage is a result of the Government and Cabinet Office making unilateral changes to the civil service compensation scheme.

They claim the changes will see staff lose up to a third of their entitlements and see civil and public servants lose tens of thousands of pounds if they are forced out of their job.

HMRC worker and PCS rep Graham Allport said “My department has been steadily destroyed and is leaving us in a position when we cannot finance the country’s needs.

“This attack on our terms and conditions is completely unwarranted and takes away a benefit we already pay for.”

One Newcastle-based civil servant who will be striking told bdaily: “Our main bugbear is that because of planned future cuts, the Government is trying to get to the stage where they can get rid of us on the cheap.”

The government is said to be looking at making savings of around £500m which the PCS says is peanuts compared to the estimated tax gap of £100bn which remains uncollected, evaded.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .