Remember, remember, the 5th of November but not perhaps this time for the foiled plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament; members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) have voted by two to one for a one-day national civil service strike over government plans to axe over 100,000 jobs.

The one day stoppage in November is said to be the biggest in a generation and the first nation civil service strike in over a decade.

The strike will impact on many services including driving licences, Jobcentres, benefit offices, tax credits, tax collection and customs operations.

Commenting Mark Serwotka PCS general secretary said:

“Members have voted to take a stand for public services. It is a stand, which says they won’t tolerate the government’s slash and burn approach to public services, services that everybody relies on from cradle to the grave. The people going on strike on 5 November aren’t faceless bureaucrats, but people providing essential services that are consistently taken for granted.

“They are people who face massive uncertainty about their jobs and the prospect of having to work five more years to receive their pension. When the government and Tories are engaged in a bidding war of who can cut the most, Britain’s civil servants will be saying on November 5 that you can’t embark along the path of crude cuts without it damaging services.”

Related articles:
Civil service job cuts trigger strike vote