STAFF fighting the imposition of pay cuts and the threat of more sackings – after 25,000-plus job cuts in the last three years – took strike action across the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the second day running yesterday.
Picket lines were mounted at Jobcentres, benefits offices, the Pension Service and the Child Support Agency (CSA), all part of the DWP.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which called the two-day national strike, said: ‘The government have insisted that pay rises for public sector workers are below inflation increases.
‘But for staff in the DWP the limit is to be capped at one per cent per year over the next three years, with no increase at all for many in 2008. Meanwhile inflation is over four per cent.
Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: ‘Tens of thousands of members have demonstrated over the last two days that they are not prepared to see their pay cut in real terms or be used as an anti-inflationary tool.
‘Imposing a pay cut in real terms on some of the lowest paid is completely unacceptable.’
Pickets were out in force in east London yesterday morning.
Nigel Prendergast, PCS rep for the E8 Jobcentre in Hackney said: ‘We are campaigning for a better pay offer.
‘The employer has imposed a three-year offer, that was rejected overwhelmingly by members in a ballot back in the summer.
‘The offer will give many members two per cent in year one, zero per cent in year two and one per cent in year three.
‘That does not protect people against current inflation, which is around four per cent.
‘In real terms that is a pay cut!’
He concluded: ‘Personally, I’m in favour of a public sector alliance to tackle Gordon Brown’s pay freeze.’
There was a determined picket line outside the JobCentre at Shepherd’s Bush in west London.
Christine Hulme, DWP PCS London Trade Union side Secretary told News Line: ‘What they are doing here is bussing in senior managers. This is probably the first day’s work they’ve done in years.
‘We were one of the most affected offices in London in terms of disruption yesterday. Every member came out except the office manager.
‘We are solid and we are determined. We are being hammered because of the Public Sector Spending Review, so is the whole civil service, and the whole public sector in reality, and I think we need a co-ordinated fight.
‘Everybody recognises what the problem is. The problem is the government.
‘Individual groups of workers can’t take them on effectively enough, so we need public sector workers fighting as a bloc nationally in order to generate a momentum to fight back by all workers leading to a general strike.’
At a meeting of PCS regional leaders in London, Paul Hulme said that in Lambeth and Southwark, ‘I’ve enjoyed the best two days of picketing I’ve ever had.
‘MoD members turned out en masse at our picket line. It was absolutely brilliant.’
