Massive
job cuts in the public sector will lead to the "mass casualisation"
of the civil service, according to the UK’s biggest civil service union.
General
secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, Mark Serwotka, said
Downing Street plans to shed more than 80,000 jobs would leave services in the
hands of an army of temporary workers.
He
condemned the plans outlined in the Gershon review on public sector efficiency,
and expressed his disgust “at the cheap attempts by politicians of all parties to
see who can cut the highest number of civil service jobs”.
Serwotka
also said industrial action could be used to oppose compulsory redundancies.
But
Paul Boateng, chief secretary of the Treasury, rejected the criticisms. He said
the savings made by reducing “back office” workers in the civil service would
lead to increased investment in hiring front-line staff, such as doctors,
teachers, and police.
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Union
members at job centres and benefits offices have already held two 48-hour
strikes over pay and the imposition of a new performance measurement system by
the Department for Work and Pensions.
By
Paul Yandall
