PCS walkouts

Submitted by Anon on 22 May, 2004 - 10:08

By a civil servant

Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCSU) working in the Social Security offices and Jobcentres in east London walked out at the beginning of May over the suspension of a supervisor. This action was part of a series of walkouts in offices around the UK in Glasgow, Lancaster, Morecambe, Sheffield, Manchester, central London, Leicester. The offices affected in east London were at Hackney, Stratford, City, Poplar and Hoxton, and the jobcentres in East Ham, Stratford and Poplar.
The walkouts have arisen from an increasingly bitter pay dispute. Staff members responsible for writing end of year reports, a system which is linked to pay, have been refusing to do the job. These people have been suspended. Although the union has recommended the staff concerned go back and do the job after token action, Nigel Prendergast, as Hackney Social Security, has vowed to stay out until the end of the month.

The PCSU are vehemently opposed to the new staff reporting system as they claim most staff will be downgraded. Linking the report to an individual's pay rise is nothing more than a crude attempt by senior managers to drive down the wages of the lowest paid.

Arguably, these walkouts have caused more disruption over the pay issue than the strike action over our pay dispute did earlier this year. The pay dispute has lost some momentum, but further strikes, three days and then five days, have been mooted.

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