PCS plans further strikes against cuts

The PCS union’s annual conference has agreed to step up opposition to cuts to pay, pensions, jobs and working conditions.

The conference opened today against the backdrop of the union’s three-month national campaign that has led to strikes and walkouts involving up to 250,000 public servants nationally and in government departments and agencies.

Passing the first motion of the day delegates agreed the next phase of the campaign will include a new national strike towards the end of June and further walkouts and protests across civil and public services, alongside other unions where possible. Dates will be set at a later date.

Moving the motion Mark Serwotka said: “We should be in no doubt that we are in the fight of our lives.

“Living standards have been cut, jobs are going and working conditions and the very fabric of our union are under attack.

“If the strikes taking place this month and next aren’t enough to force the government to negotiate we will need an extended phase of the campaign.

“We are right to fight, we have no option but to continue. We are not going away, we are building the pressure so that ministers have to talk to us.”

Background to the campaign is at www.pcs.org.uk/actionnow. The first phase has so far involved:

20 March: national strike on budget day www.pcs.org.uk/budget13strike

5 April: half-day national walkout www.pcs.org.uk/longweekend

8 April: half-day strike by 55,000 in HM Revenue and Customs www.pcs.org.uk/hmrcwalkin

From 16 April: four days rolling strikes across the Home Office www.pcs.org.uk/HOwalkouts

8 to 10 May: walkouts in more than 30 agencies, commissions and regulators www.pcs.org.uk/psgwalkouts

13 to 15 May: three days of rolling strikes across Scottish government departments and agencies and the Scottish parliament www.pcs.org.uk/scotstrikes

15 May: one-day strike in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its agencies www.pcs.org.uk/defrastrike

16 and 17 May: British Library strikes kick off series of action in the culture sector www.pcs.org.uk/BLstrike

Later this month strikes are planned across a range of government departments, including rolling action jointly in the two largest, the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs.

From a PCS press release