02/05/2006

Jobcentre staff begin two-day strike

Around 90,000 staff working in Jobcentres, benefit offices and the Child Support Agency have begun a 48-hour strike in protest over job cuts.

The strike follows the collapse of talks between union officials and the government over proposals to cut 30,000 jobs.

The Public and Commercial Services Union is calling for the job cuts programme to be halted, as well as an independent assessment of the impact of the loss of 15,000 jobs which have already gone.

There has been a 63% increase in assaults against Jobcentre staff since the job cuts began two years, PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka claimed.

He also said that more than 60 Department of Work and Pensions staff were losing their jobs each month after being off work sick.

Mr Serwotka said: "Rather than continually being in denial saying everything is fine, the department needs to halt the job cuts programme and jointly assess with PCS the adequate staffing levels needed."

Mr Serwotka said that there had been a "fantastic show of support" for the strike action. He said: "The perpetual self denial of DWP senior management over the level of staff anger and impact of job cuts serves only to undermine services that some of the most disadvantaged rely on.

"With support for the two day stoppage expected to grow, the department needs to negotiate seriously with the union to avoid further industrial action."

(KMcA)

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