The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is to ballot 270,000 civil servants and public service workers on strike action over the government’s policy to cap public sector pay to below inflation.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of PCS, announced the move over the weekend (6 September) shortly before the TUC conference, which commenced in Brighton today (8 September). In the strike ballot, to be held between 24 September to 17 October, PCS members will be asked to support a country-wide civil service strike against Gordon Brown’s 2% pay rise limit for public service workers.
The National Union of Teachers (NUT) will also ballot members on industrial action, while the University and Colleges Union UCU is currently deciding whether or to ballot its members. Local government workers represented by Unison are also expected to strike this winter.
Serwotka said: “The government says it is on the side of hard pressed families, yet compound the financial misery for hundreds of thousands of people by pursuing and unjust pay policy.
“Our members have grown increasingly frustrated by the government peddling the myth that they are the causes of inflation when they see their food, fuel and housing costs soar.”
I think the government is right to cap public sector at 2% – having worked in local GMT I am aware of how well staff are paid – they do not have the worries of the redundancy as many in the private sector do. Stick to your guns Gordon Brown!!