Civil servants working at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) will strike on two days next week unless their pay offer is improved.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) will stage the protest on Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 March 2008.
The ongoing pay row centres around the new three-year pay deals and the cap of 2%. Last week’s announcement that 12,000 more jobs are to be cut and 200 more offices are to close has further angered unions.
In the last few weeks, members in the Home Office, Land Registry, Metropolitan police, DVLA, DCMS, Dept for Transport, Highways Agency, Driving Standards Agency and Valuation Office Agency have all voted to take industrial action on pay.
On Thursday last week PCS members in the Coastguards Agency were on strike over pay.
Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said that the budget is an ideal opportunity for the government to address its policy which is driving down pay across the civil service.
“The 2% pay cap is hitting some of the lowest paid in the public sector who are seeing their pay cut in real terms as a result. It is scandalous that people working in areas such jobcentres and benefits should be expected to stomach a 0% increase this year. The outbreak of industrial action in the civil service and next week’s two-day stoppage in the DWP illustrates the depth of anger being generated by the government’s pay cap.”
