TENS of thousands of civil servants and allied workers expressed their anger at poverty pay, attacks on their pensions and privatisation during Wednesday’s solid 24-hour strike called by the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS).
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka told News Line at a London photocall opposite parliament: ‘It’s a strong strike. That is because people have reached the end of their tether with a 20% pay cut over five years. 87,000 jobs have gone and their pensions are being massively worsened.
‘And we’re told whoever wins the next election it will be more of the same.
‘We have been arguing for the maximum number of unions to strike together. We will be talking to all the other unions to make sure we stand together.’
PCS members at the photocall told News Line they would support a general strike. Typical was HMRC PCS member Mark Benjamin: ‘I’m on strike today because enough is enough.
‘The MPs are being offered 10% compared with the 1% nurses and civil servants are being offered. We deserve a fair pay rise. The cost of living is crippling us.
‘More and more of my members are using food banks to cope. Inflation has pushed up the price of food, petrol and rents – we’re all affected. There will have to be more action; one day will not get the result we deserve.
‘There needs to be more co-ordinated action with other unions. I’d support a general strike to get everyone together and fight the same fight.’
PCS member Antonella Linguanti was with a group from Kew Gardens.
She said: ‘This government has cut funding for Kew in a very drastic way. That means there are people who will be made redundant and lose their job. That has a big impact on their lives.
‘Also, Kew will lose their specialist skills and Kew scientific work is already being affected. This is because of a shift from focussing on research and science to secure jobs and generate income, so it’s more a business focus. The unions should take more action.
‘The PCS has done a great job and that should continue. There should be more unions getting together and working together. I would support a general strike.’
Andy Thomas, PCS London and Southeast Region secretary, added: ‘The strike has been very well supported.
‘Our members feel they have little choice but to take strike action. After several years of pay freezes and pay cuts, they are really struggling to pay the bills.
‘A number of our members actually claim the benefits that they administer to provide minimum levels of income.
‘We just really call on the government to listen to the legitimate aspirations of public sector workers who are delivering vital services day in and day out for little reward. The PCS supports escalating the campaign among public sector unions.
‘We support increased joint action throughout the public sector to increase the pressure on the government to listen to our concerns.
‘We’ve also supported the idea of a general strike at the TUC Congress. A general strike will be a legitimate next step.’
Earlier, there was a short rally outside the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square against planned privatation, the use of private security at the Rembrandt exhibition, Shell and BP sponsorship in museums, for a living wage and to stop job cuts, work overload and stress at work.
PCS culture section secretary and officer for the National Gallery Paul Bemrose told News Line: ‘For the past four years, with two years of pay freezes, two of pay being capped at 1% and that going into 2015-16, the value of our member’s salaries has dropped by 20%.
‘In this gallery, many gallery assistants don’t even get the London Living Wage, which is one of the things we are fighting for. Additionally, we have the issue of potential privatisation here.
‘Members are furious that MPs are about to award themselves a 10% pay rise and the government is full of millionaires. The National Gallery wants to put the sword of privatisation over our heads because they want to change the way the gallery works.
‘At the moment, we are talking with managment to try to find an in-house solution that is mutually agreeable.’
PCS member Louise Kroeze, a visitors assistant at Tate Britain, said: ‘We’re her to support our brothers and sisters at the National Gallery for no privatisation.
‘We are not yet threatened at the Tate but we are concerned. Privatisation means cutting wages and cutting jobs. They’ll give the contract to the lowest bidders. The union has to stop it, I’d back further action to stop privatisation.
‘I’d support a general strike throughout the UK, everybody out together, ideally to get rid of this government. They say tax cuts for the rich and benefit cuts for the poor.
‘MPs are getting 11%. It shows there is one rule for the rich and one rule for the poor. We have to stop the Tories dividing the country.’
Victoria & Albert Museum PCS branch secretary Dave Walters told News Line: ‘I represent low-paid members who for the past four years have had 1% pay rises and are 20% down on what they should be earning. This is while prices are going up.
‘Our place of work is in central London, so we face a choice of paying exorbitant rents or huge transport costs.
‘Some people are looking at a two to three hours commute – that’s a long day. People’s lives are being hugely impacted. Behind all these statistics are fairly miserable lives for people who are university-educated, want to build their lives, but are stuck.
‘We’re here showing solidarity with our National Gallery colleagues. Their strike is over the worry of having your job completely transformed at the behest of people who got the gallery into this trouble in the first place.
‘The whole idea is to run the National Gallery as a business, but it’s not a business, it’s a national heritage. I would support a general strike. If we withdraw our labour, that’s the only way we can have our say.
‘We need leadership, more militant trade union leaders like Mark Serwotka. We should fight for at least a 10% pay rise for low-paid workers.’
On the morning picket line at Lewisham Jobcentre in south east London, PCS rep Tony told News Line: ‘The union should have more half-day strikes to make it more effective.
‘They should mix up the types of action. In jobcentres the management can plan for one-day strikes, whereas walk-outs cause them more headaches.’
On the picket line at the Inner London Crown Court in Borough, Cheryl Deane said: ‘They are cutting our spending but spending money on schemes like Boris Bikes. We are working in a building which leaks and the heating sometimes doesn’t work.
‘Under the 2010 deal, our pay was meant to go up periodically, but I’m at the top of my pay grade and don’t get these increments.
‘They have opened extra courtrooms here and we’re doing extra work and longer hours to keep up with the extra duties.’
