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16/02/2004
90,000 civil servants go on strike
Around 90,000 civil servants have gone on strike today over a dispute following the government's pay offer.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) working in the Department for Work and Pensions and Driving Standards Agency took to the picket line this morning. The strike action will end tomorrow afternoon.
The union says that it is taking strike action over a series of "imposed below inflation pay offers".
It is expected that up to 5,000 driving tests will be cancelled as hundreds of test centres close up and down the country. Jobcentres and benefits offices also face complete closure or major disruption with the wide scale cancellation of appointments.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "I'm very disappointed that we have had to take strike action to defend members' interests, however civil servants are simply no longer prepared to accept poverty wages.
"We have far too many members administering government benefits that they also have to claim just to scrape together a living. I call on Ministers in all the departments involved to step in and release the money to resolve this dispute."
At the heart of the union's complaint, is what it views as the "endemic" civil service problem of low pay. The union claimed that in the DWP the average salary among 11,000 administrative assistants is a meagre £10,588pa.
(gmcg)
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) working in the Department for Work and Pensions and Driving Standards Agency took to the picket line this morning. The strike action will end tomorrow afternoon.
The union says that it is taking strike action over a series of "imposed below inflation pay offers".
It is expected that up to 5,000 driving tests will be cancelled as hundreds of test centres close up and down the country. Jobcentres and benefits offices also face complete closure or major disruption with the wide scale cancellation of appointments.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "I'm very disappointed that we have had to take strike action to defend members' interests, however civil servants are simply no longer prepared to accept poverty wages.
"We have far too many members administering government benefits that they also have to claim just to scrape together a living. I call on Ministers in all the departments involved to step in and release the money to resolve this dispute."
At the heart of the union's complaint, is what it views as the "endemic" civil service problem of low pay. The union claimed that in the DWP the average salary among 11,000 administrative assistants is a meagre £10,588pa.
(gmcg)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A very mild, but mostly cloudy day, although with some bright or sunny spells. It will be mostly dry in the morning, but a little patchy light rain or drizzle at times in the afternoon. Maximum temperature 14 °C.Tonight:A band of heavier rain will move east during the evening before clearing eastwards after midnight. then mostly dry through the early hours, but a little rain towards dawn. Minimum temperature 8 °C.
