Information watchdog staff to strike for two days over pay

3 Feb 2015 12:03 PM

Staff at the Information Commissioner's Office will strike for two days from Tuesday over pay.

Pay rates at the ICO, which monitors and enforces rights on information access, are lower than those for equivalent jobs in the civil service, often by several thousand pounds a year.

At the same time as denying staff a decent pay rise, three senior executives have been awarded an average increase of 11%.

Under the Freedom of Information Act the union requested details about the process for the executive pay awards but has been told no records are available.

Union officials have been forced to file an official complaint with the ICO, which under the legislation is obliged to investigate and make a ruling.

Last month marked the 10th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act coming into force.

The walkout from the office in Wilmslow, in chancellor George Osborne's constituency, will be on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 February.