WIREDGOV

A day before the budget, members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) from across the civil service will be in Westminster today (Tues 11 March) for a lobby of Parliament to call on the Chancellor to review the government’s 2% pay cap on civil and public service pay.

The lobby comes on the same day as the union announces a further two-day stoppage in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the following week as part of a long running dispute over the imposition of a 3 year below inflation pay offer, which will see 40% of staff receive a 0% pay rise this year.

The DWP strike on the 17 and 18 March follows a two-day strike at the end of last year which hit Jobcentres, benefit offices, pension centres and the Child Support Agency (CSA).

With the government’s insistence to drive down pay prompting a number of pay disputes, the union will also be handing in a national pay claim to the Treasury.

There will be a photo opportunity outside the Treasury at 1pm when PCS general secretary, Mark Serwotka and PCS president, Janice Godrich hands in the union’s claim for a 6% increase across the civil service. The 6% increase includes 4% for inflation and a 2% catch up due to previous year’s below inflation pay increases.

The photo opportunity will be followed by a rally at 1.30pm in the House of Commons, committee room 10. The rally on public sector pay, will be addressed by Mark Serwotka, Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, Steve Sinnott, National Union of Teachers general secretary, Paul Noon, Prospect general secretary, Jonathan Ledger, National Association of Probation Officers generals secretary elect and John McDonnell MP.

In addition to the DWP, there has been strongly supported strike action over below inflation pay in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), the Department for Transport, Driving Standards Agency (DSA), the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA), Highways Agency, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and Vehicle Certification Agency.

Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said:

"The budget is an ideal opportunity for the government to address its policy which is driving down pay across the civil service. The 2% pay cap is hitting some of the lowest paid in the public sector who are seeing their pay cut in real terms as a result. It is scandalous that people working in areas such jobcentres and benefits should be expected to stomach a 0% increase this year. The outbreak of industrial action in the civil service and next week’s two day stoppage in the DWP illustrates the depth of anger being generated by the government’s pay cap.

"With a quarter of the civil service earning less than £15,500 and starting salaries as low as the minimum wage, the government have got to recognise that civil and public servants are not the causes of inflation but the victims of inflation. The government can longer preside over a culture of low pay and need to review the 2% pay cap and pay a fair living wage to the people who deliver vital public services."