Civil servants set to hold two-day strike in redundancy pay row

MORE than a quarter of a million civil servants are to stage a national two-day strike in a bitter row over redundancy pay, it was announced last night.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union will walk out on 8 and 9 March, with the threat of services being hit by industrial action throughout the month.

The strikes will involve up to 270,000 jobcentre staff, tax workers, coastguards, border agency officials, court staff and driving test examiners. They follow a long-running row over changes to the civil service compensation scheme.

Union members voted by 63 per cent in favour of stoppages, with 81 per cent backing an overtime ban.

The union complained that changes to redundancy and compensation arrangements will see staff "robbed" of up to a third of their entitlements and see civil and public servants lose tens of thousands of pounds if they are "forced" out of a job.

The union's national executive committee will be meeting next week to finalise further strike dates, which could include national walk-outs and targeted strike action.

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.

"With civil and public service jobs increasingly at risk, this is a cynical attempt to cut jobs on the cheap which will ultimately damage the services we all rely on."

Mr Serwotka added that the government needed to recognise the "depth of anger" which had been demonstrated by the ballot result, and find the political will to negotiate a settlement that avoided a sustained campaign of industrial action.

Other civil service unions have reached agreement with the Government over redundancy pay.

• Leaders of British Airways cabin crew continued to hold back from naming strike dates yesterday as talks went on to try to resolve a long-running row over jobs and conditions.

Members of Unite voted massively in favour of industrial action earlier this week, but the union is continuing with negotiations in a bid to avert a walkout.

Union officials yesterday unanimously backed the work of their negotiating team attempting to resolve the current dispute.

Assistant general secretary Len McCluskey said: "Only negotiation, not intimidation or litigation, can keep BA flying."