Steve Ion, Socialist Party Merseyside
Workers at the Disclosure and Barring Service, which carries out necessary criminal and other checks for organisations working with vulnerable people or children, started their initial six-day strike over pay and conditions on 15 August.
Eighty members of civil service union PCS, who work in the contact centre and run back-office functions, are involved. The workers are employed in Liverpool to deliver a contract outsourced to Indian-headquartered Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS).
HGS is a hugely profitable firm, its owner tops the Sunday Times rich list with a personal wealth of £28.5 billion.
100% of workers who voted rejected HGS’s 3.25% pay offer, deeming it unacceptable at a time when inflation is running well above 10%. The bosses are also refusing to improve on other terms and conditions including sick pay and annual leave entitlement.
Members on the picket line say the strike is solid. They’ve had enough and argue they should be brought back into the public sector. Messages of support can be sent to branch secretary Mick Pullen: [email protected]
