Civil servants to join teachers in day of protest over wage deals below inflation

Apr 22 2008 by Laura Sharpe, Liverpool Daily Post

OVER 100,000 Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) working across 10 government departments and agencies will be on strike at the same time teachers and lecturers in the one-day strike on Thursday.

They are protesting at the government’s policy to cap public sector pay to below inflation, which unions fear will result in cuts to living standards across the civil service.

It follows recent strikes by Coastguards over pay levels that fall behind those of other emergency services and the Government’s policy of capping pay increases to below inflation.

As well as Coastguards, departments and agencies affected on Thursday include driving examiners, immigration staff, jobcentre and benefits staff.

The Land Registry will also be striking for two hours.

Pay in the civil service is among the lowest in the public sector with starting salaries just above the minimum wage and with a quarter of staff earning less than £16,000. With inflation running at over 4%, staff say they are angry at the government-imposed pay caps that are resulting in pay freezes and pay cuts in real terms.

Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “The Government’s discredited argument that public sector pay fuels inflation doesn’t wash with independent economists and the hundreds of thousands of civil and public servants whose work is often taken for granted, yet touches our everyday lives.

“The Government is alienating its own workforce by driving down the pay of some of the lowest paid in the public sector with a policy of below inflation pay caps and pay freezes.”