Monday 8 March 2010

Civil service strike under way

Civil servants have begun a 48-hour strike, leaving court hearings postponed, job centres operating a minimum service and 2,000 driving tests cancelled. The action is designed to put maximum pressure on the government just weeks before the general election. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said the strike over plans to reduce redundancy payouts saw more than 200,000 public sector workers refusing to cross picket lines. Crown and county court sittings have been severely affected and passport appointments cancelled across the country. Museum staffing is also affected: only the ground floor in the Victoria and Albert museum in London was open to the public.














Donkey jackets at the ready

Union bosses have claimed the majority of their members are taking part. They include civilian staff in the Metropolitan police, House of Commons security personnel and revenue and customs officers. The government has said its own monitoring suggests only 80,000 of the 270,000 PCS members are taking part. Four out of the five civil service unions accepted a compensation deal last month. The strike is over plans to reduce payouts for civil servants made redundant in order to save £500m over three years. The government insists it has already compromised with unions to protect low-paid workers and preserve their higher payouts. But the unions say their members still stand to lose thousands of pounds and that the deal is part of moves to make it cheaper to sack people as the government tries to reduce the wage bill."

Meanwhile, Royal Mail and union reach deal to end postal strikes
A deal aimed at ending the long-running postal workers' dispute was agreed today, including a 6.9% pay rise over three years. The working week will be cut and postal workers will have greater job security, while agreeing to deliver a "transformation" of the business. The Communication Workers Union said members would also receive lump sums of about £2,500 as well as weekly basic pay supplements and other improvements such as extra maternity and paternity pay. The deal averts fresh strikes, although it is subject to a ballot of union members.

The Royal Mail and CWU have been holding peace talks for over two months following a spate of walkouts last year that led to millions of letters being delayed. Targets for the delivery of first and second class letters were missed in the bitter row over jobs, pay and services. An 80-page agreement produced by the marathon talks includes a 2% pay rise in April followed by increases of 1.4% and 3.5% in subsequent years. Workers will receive a lump sum payment of £400 on ratification of the agreement, followed by £1,000 linked to delivery of workplace changes, and further bonus payments.