Second two-day strike action hits Department of Work and Pensions

Up to 90,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) working in Jobcentres, benefit offices and the Child Support Agency are carrying out a second two-day strike today in the deepening dispute over service levels and job cuts.

The stoppage follows an earlier strike in January by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff.

The union is calling for the DWP to stop the job cuts and work with the union to establish adequate staffing levels based on operational need. The union is also seeking a no compulsory redundancy guarantee.

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In March, a government committee said job cuts at the DWP had led a “truly appalling” level of service last summer.

Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “The failure by the DWP to fully appreciate the damaging impact of job cuts in talks with the union means that our members are left having to strike to defend the services they care about.”