WIREDGOV

Voters in cabinet ministers' constituencies are being asked by representatives of the Public and Commercial Services union to support a campaign against cuts to civil service redundancy terms.

Across the UK, union reps and officials are taking battle buses around towns and cities with sitting ministers, starting with a London tour today that included civil service minister Tessa Jowell’s Dulwich and West Norwood constituency.

The tours highlight the union’s opposition to drastic cuts to the civil service compensation scheme, which governs payments in the event of redundancy or early retirement.

The government’s decision to implement changes to the scheme without the union’s agreement will be challenged at a judicial review in the High Court in London starting on Thursday. A parliamentary motion supporting the union’s campaign against the cuts was signed by 176 MPs, 121 of whom were Labour backbenchers.

The union will focus on home secretary Alan Johnson’s constituency of Hull tomorrow, following the decision by the UK Border Agency to be the first to push for redundancies under the new compensation scheme terms. To highlight the job losses, ‘Postman Cutts’ will be issuing P45s to staff from 11am outside Mr Johnson's constituency office.

Other events include:

• Thursday 22 April: a battle bus will visit some of the main government offices in south Wales as well as the Welsh Assembly buildings in Cardiff Bay and Cathays Park.
• Friday 23 April: PCS reps will travel by battle bus from the union’s regional office in Newcastle to David Miliband’s South Shields constituency, where they will hand out leaflets to commuters and shoppers at the two main Metro stations and deliver signed letters from constituents to Mr Miliband’s constituency office.
• Saturday 24 April: voters will be urged to back the union’s campaign in the constituencies of Angela Eagle (Wallasey), Jack Straw (Blackburn) and Phil Woolas (Oldham East and Saddleworth).

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Our members across the UK work very hard providing vital public services that communities rely on. But this is under threat because the government is trying to make it easier to cut public sector jobs and privatise these services.

“We have had support from many MPs, including Labour backbenchers, so as well as highlighting the campaign to voters in these constituencies, we’re saying to ministers they now have an opportunity to show their commitment to public services and the people who provide them.”