Jobcentre, benefit office and Child Support Agency staff are beginning a two-day strike today in a dispute over service levels and government job cuts.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) working for the Department for Work and Pensions are protesting at thousands of job cuts as part of the government’s efficiency drive.
The start of the strike comes a day after PCS gave evidence to a DWP select committee highlighting severe problems in the system.
The union is calling for the DWP to halt and objectively assess the job cuts programme and work with the union to establish adequate staffing levels based on operational need. The union is also seeking a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies.
Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “It is evident that job cuts are pushing services depended upon by the most disadvantaged in society into meltdown.
“Those taking action today are standing up for the services they deliver, saying they are no longer prepared to sit back and allow the services they care about be damaged beyond repair.”
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