Court workers begin two-day strike

Court workers today started a two-day strike in protest at plans to slash redundancy payments by up to a third.

The industrial action will cripple Rochdale Magistrates’ Court, which will run a much reduced service until Wednesday.

It will also affect the tax office and job centre, where staff are also on strike.

A spokesman for the Public and Commercial Services union, said: “They are trying to get rid of us on the cheap.

“The Government wants to reduce redundancy payments so they are comparable with private industry, at a time when everyone is worried about the threat of cuts in the civil service.”

A spokeswoman for Her Majesty’s Court Service said: “We have robust contingency plans in place which will prioritise the delivery of our most essential services.

“Our aim is to keep disruption to a minimum.”