A union representing more than 21,000 Revenue and Customs staff is threatening to stage regular walk-outs over the government agency’s plans to use private sector providers in order to answer taxpayers’ phone calls.
At the end of last week, the Public and Commercial Services union began a two-week ballot of 12,000 of its members who work in customer operations and nearly 9,000 who work in the Customer Contact Directorate over the privatisation plans.
PCS members are being asked to support regular walkouts and to vote in favour of working to rule. The union’s general secretary Mark Serwotka, said: "While we have sought to persuade the employer to abandon these plans, it is clear that the tendering process is continuing and contracts will be awarded to private sector providers in mid-November."
But the fact that private sector staff will have access to sensitive customer data posed a serious security threat and increased the potential for tax credit fraud, he added.
Contracts are expected to be awarded to two third party suppliers, each of which will provide about 100 staff, in mid-November. They will be located at two HMRC call centre sites and will answer tax credit calls for one year starting in January next year.
