Jobcentres to be hit in 48-hour walk-out

Services at Jobcentres across Lincolnshire look set to grind to a halt next week as civil servants stage a 48-hour strike over redundancy pay-outs.

The threatened walk-out on Monday and Tuesday could also affect courts and tax offices, while driving tests may well be postponed.

And strike action looks likely to hit civil and public services every week of this month after a union ballot showed 63.4 per cent of members who voted backing strike action and 81.4 per cent supporting an overtime ban.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union are angry about government moves to cut redundancy terms, which can currently lead to pay-outs of up to six-and-a-half years' worth of salary.

Analysts say the average severance payment is three years of pay – much more generous than most public sector schemes.

But union members say any plan to reduce that would hit staff hard at a time when the recession is hitting people in the pocket.

Graham Peck, PCS Lincolnshire branch secretary representing the Department for Work and Pensions workers, said any plans to reduce protection for members would lead to more people being compulsorily made redundant or having their jobs privatised.

"The strike action will affect Jobcentres across the county as well as the Jobcentre and Jobcentre call centre in Lincoln and the courts and other government departments," he said.

"We have 470-odd members in the county, including 250 in Lincoln, and we know that a lot of them are walking out, along with a lot of non-members.

"Our members face losing a great deal of money.

"The Government is arguing that the public knows why we are going on strike but we don't believe they do."