PCS member and job centre worker
Like many who have voted in favour of strikes, civil service and local job centre workers are not striking just because of pay, but because we have had enough.
I will be striking because, across job centres, there has been a harrowing decline in resources to support our customers but an absurd spike in statistics to benefit management. It has become obvious that senior leaders are more interested in meeting targets via customer attendance and sanctions than providing a quality service to the public.
Treatment of staff is another reason I am striking. There are members of staff who are booked for up to 30, ten-minute appointments a day. How can anyone provide fulfilling support to a customer in ten minutes? The only time some of our staff can take a toilet break is if a customer does not show up!
Finally, I am also striking for fair and better pay. Years have gone by with tiny rises that have failed to keep up with inflation, and after the pandemic it was civil service workers who had to pay the price with a two-year pay freeze.
Solidarity to all those who balloted ‘yes’ and are on the picket line on 1 February!
