Two-day walk-out by Government workers

Thousands Government workers in the North-West — including from Rochdale Borough  — will walk out on strike for two days next week.

The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) has called a 48-hour stoppage on Monday and Tuesday in response to proposals to slash redundancy payments by up to a third.

Staff at job centres, tax offices, courts, passport offices, coastguard stations and driving test centres will be among those taking part. PCS regional chairman Lawrence Dunne said: “This region relies heavily on public-sector jobs and all the indications are that the strike will be rock solid in the North-West. Attempts in the last few days by employers to undermine support for the union have spectacularly backfired.”

The Government is looking to save £500 million through the changes based on the number of jobs it has axed over the past three years.

With all the main political parties planning deep spending cuts, the union fears that this will lead to tens of thousands of job losses on the cheap.

PCS North-West regional secretary Peter Middleman said: “The changes to the civil service compensation scheme pave the way for wide-scale compulsory redundancies, regardless of who wins the election.

“By vigorously opposing the changes through legal, political and now industrial means, members are making it harder for the politicians and senior civil servants to deliver on their promises of cuts of up to one in five jobs over the next four years.”

Dozens of PCS members from the region travelled to Westminster to lobby MPs on the changes.

Twenty of the region’s politicians have already signed an Early Day Motion supporting the union position after being denied a vote due to the manner in which the Government proposed the necessary amendment to the 1972 Superannuation Act.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “These cuts, which will see loyal civil and public servants lose tens of thousands of pounds if they are forced out of a job, are more about crude politicking than making savings.

“We have suggested ways in which the Government can make these savings while protecting the rights of existing members, yet it seems intent on penalising the people who keep this country running.

“The Government claims it can’t prevent bankers’ bonuses being paid because they are contractual, but appears happy to rip up the rights of its own work force and change the law to do so.”

Strikers will attend lunchtime rallies in Liverpool, Manchester and Preston on Monday and other unions including Unison, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and National Union of Teachers (NUT) have already pledged support.