Civil servants vote for another six months of strikes at Home Office, DVLA and Passport office – as staff at homelessness charity also announce month-long walkout
- The vote was 88 per cent in favour, paving the way for strikes to continue
Members of the biggest civil service union have voted to renew their mandate to keep taking industrial action for the next six months in a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said the vote was 88% in favour, paving the way for strikes to continue for most of the rest of the year.
The union has been embroiled in a bitter row with the government for months and has held a series of strikes in Whitehall departments and other areas including the Border Force, Passport Office and HMRC.
The union said the ballot result, on a 52% turnout, means it can continue to call a mixture of ‘sustained action in targeted areas’.
Among those who voted ‘Yes’ are members working in the Home Office, Passport Office and DVLA, and those working as driving examiners.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) on the picket line outside HMRC in East Kilbride during a strike in the long-running civil service dispute over pay, jobs and conditions
Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) branch organiser Holly Allison(C) joins members of the PCS on the picket line outside HMRC in East Kilbride during a strike in the long-running civil service dispute over pay, jobs and conditions
They are now able to join those who already have a mandate for action, including those at HMRC, who were on strike on Wednesday.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: ‘This vote shows our members will not tolerate being treated worse than anyone else in the public sector.
‘It sends a very strong signal to the government that they must get round the negotiating table immediately.
‘After six months of strike action, the government might have hoped our members would go quietly back to work, but ministers have under-estimated our members’ strength, determination and resolve.
‘PCS members kept this country running during the pandemic and they deserve to be treated better by their employer.
‘Unless ministers put more money on the table, they will see more high-profile disruptive action over the summer, leading into autumn.’
Additionally, Staff at a homelessness charity will stage a month-long strike in a dispute over pay.
Members of Unite at St Mungo’s will walk out from May 30 to June 26 after rejecting a pay offer.
The charity increased a 1.75% pay offer to a “pitiful” 2.25%, the union said.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Charity workers who are on the streets helping the homeless are now prepared to go on strike for a month for a decent wage.
Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) branch president John Davidson joins members of the PCS on the picket line outside HMRC in East Kilbride during a strike in the long-running civil service dispute over pay, jobs and conditions
The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said the vote was 88% in favour, paving the way for strikes to continue for most of the rest of the year
Among those who voted ‘Yes’ are members working in the Home Office, Passport Office and DVLA, and those working as driving examiners
“This shows what they think of the way they’ve been treated by St Mungo’s management.
“The pitiful pay offer has just made everyone in the union angrier.
“So if the management at St Mungo’s want to avoid a month-long strike they have the answer in their own hands.
“Make Unite members a decent pay offer.
“Their indifference to the financial pressures facing their own staff is quite frankly astonishing.”
A St Mungo’s spokesperson said: “We are naturally very disappointed our new offer has been rejected by Unite’s members and that an unprecedented 28 days of strike is due to commence from May 30.
“We have compromised and tried everything possible to reach a reasonable negotiation and avoid strike action, and we believe our new offer was fair and appropriate.
“Our lines of communication with Unite will remain open as we continue to try to resolve the dispute.
“Our priority is to continue supporting our clients and people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
“We have contingency plans in place to minimise the risks to our clients; however, we are concerned about the impact prolonged strike action will have on our service users, who are some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.”
Unite later clarified the offer, saying it was 2.25% in additional to 1.75%.
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