Public services to suffer as series of strikes on way

By The Press Association24th September 2014News EnglandLocal Authorities, News England, Pay, Pay and Conditions, Strike

The Government is facing a series of strikes by public sector workers after an announcement that civil servants are to stage a national walkout next month.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will take industrial action on October 15 in a long-running row over jobs, pay and conditions.

Council workers will strike the previous day, while a day of action in the NHS is expected on October 13 in separate disputes over pay. The three days of disruption will be followed by a national protest in London organised by the TUC on October 18 under the slogan, Britain Needs A Pay Rise.

The PCS said that since 2010, taking into account pay cuts, the increase in monthly pension contributions and inflation, many civil servants have suffered a 20% cut in their incomes.

The strike by up to a quarter of a million PCS members will include employees of Westminster government departments and agencies, and the Wales assembly, but not those who work in bodies under the jurisdiction of the Scottish government.

At the Labour Party conference yesterday, the union launched a new report by tax expert Richard Murphy that claimed tax evasion deprives public finances of £80 billion a year.

Collecting a fraction of these “stolen billions” would change the debate about public spending overnight, the union said.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “These strikes show we are serious about bringing an end to pay cuts that have slashed the living standards of public servants while the super rich have been rewarded with tax cuts.

“Until we chase down the tax dodgers and invest properly in our communities and public services, the so-called economic recovery will only ever benefit millionaires, while the millions pay the price.”