Disgruntled civil servants in Luton will be staging a long weekend of walkouts starting today (April 5) as disputes over pay and working conditions escalate.
Workers at the Department of Work and Pensions in Luton will hold a half-day strike from 1pm, and union members at HMRC in George Street West will strike for half a day on Monday.
Lawrence Patterson, 57, who works at HMRC in Luton where just under 200 people are employed, said the strikes are designed to cause maximum disruption to the new PAYE system and for the new tax year.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union member said: “We are doing this beacuse we are in dsipute with our employer about our conditions of work. It’s not just pay. We haven’t had a pay increase feor two years, we asked for a five per cent pay increase and they said we could have one per cent, which is not really enough with inflation being three - four per cent.
“And becausethey are bruinging in a new performance inftion from April which is going to be ins with a bottom of ten per cent least effective people in the office, and unless they improve, they will get the sack.”
Mr Patterson said nationally the workforce has already reduced from 100,000 to 60,000 in four years, and now they are looking to lose another 10,000.
He said: “It’s not easy to make ends meet. I’ve worked in the civil service for 40 years and I have to watch my bank account at the end of the month. I can’t afford to save any money and I can’t even have a holiday this year – I’ll be holidaying in Luton at this rate. People with families are really struggling. We are bringing in ten times what we are paid, sometimes 20 times, and we are not even on commission.
“The last three-four years have been really tough, with no pay increase and having to pay more into our pensions.
“The economy will not improve unless more people get more money in their pay packets. Having people on low incomes is not the way to grow the economy.
“I think everyone in the country should be saying ‘we want a decent wage’.”
The walkouts in Luton form part of a national three-month programme of industrial action and protests, which started with a national strike on budget day on March 20.
The (PCS) union has asked for talks over cuts to civil service pay, pensions and terms and conditions, but say the government has refused to negotiate.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “We said our budget day strike was not a one-day protest and this long weekend of walkouts is the next step in a series of strikes to put pressure on a government that is refusing to talk to us.
“Civil and public servants are working harder than ever to provide the services we all rely on but, instead of rewarding them, the government is imposing cuts to their pay, raiding their pensions and trying to rip up their basic working conditions.”