Civil servants have announced fresh industrial action in the row over public sector pay and job security.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has revealed that its members will be working only their contracted hours on Friday 23 February.
This latest action follows a strike involving up to 200,000 civil servants on 31 January over the same issues. There was a two-week ban on overtime following that strike.
PCS also promised regional strikes on 30 March and threatened further action in April and May.
Mark Serwotka (pictured left), PCS general secretary, said: “The successful one-day strike and overtime ban, was just the beginning of our campaign against damaging job cuts, below inflation pay and privatisation.
“Civil Service management along with the government cannot continue to bury its head in the sand, hoping that the problems of pay, deteriorating services and privatisation will simply go away.”
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The PCS is angry about the government’s massive programme of public sector reforms following the Gershon review. In July 2004, it set out to make £20bn savings over four years by slashing 80,000 jobs, relocating 20,000 roles from the South East and making many other efficiency gains.
Employers have warned the government that backing down on public sector pay would hit the private sector with higher taxes and pressure to increase wages.
