Civil service unrest continues as 100,000 staff down biros

Up
to 100,000 civil servants have begun two days of strikes in separate disputes
over pay.

Staff
in job centres and benefit offices are taking industrial action over the
imposition of a pay offer and the introduction of a new pay performance system,
which the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) claims is discriminatory.

The
PCS said it would take the Department for Work and Pensions to the high court
unless it withdrew the introduction of the performance system, arguing that the
unilateral imposition amounted to a breach of contract.

Staff
at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) are also staging a one day strike –
the first in the history of the statistics service.

Up
to 4,500 prison service staff have walked out over a pay rise that the PCS says
is below inflation, which amounts to a real terms pay cut for staff.

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PCS
general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "Rather than attempt to try and find
compromise with its workforce dealing with the issue of low pay, management
prefer the bullyboy tactics of imposing divisive bonus schemes and real term
pay cuts."

By Michael Millar