This is just the start, warn disgruntled staff (From Worcester News)

This is just the start, warn disgruntled staff

12:30pm Tuesday 9th March 2010 in

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PUBLIC services in Worcester remain largely unaffected, despite strikes by civil servants protesting against changes to their redundancy packages.

The action, which was called by the Public and Commercial Services Union, started yesterday morning and will continue again today.

We previously reported that the union organised the strike as a result of a breakdown in negotiations with the Government, which is making changes to the civil service compensation scheme.

The union says those changes will ultimately mean staff will get made redundant “on the cheap”.

It also claimed that more than 200,000 employees had walked out yesterday across the country, causing “widespread disruption” to services, but the Government’s cabinet office said that 81,000 members had been on strike with the majority of staff working normally.

While it was predicted that more than 1,000 of Worcestershire’s civil and public servants – including Jobcentre staff, tax workers, border agency officials, court staff and driving test examiners – would take part in the 48-hour strike, offices and courts in the city remained open to the public yesterday.

However, those on the picket lines were pleased with the turnout, while one union member warned that more action could be on the cards.

Jan Baxter, who works at the Jobcentre in Sansome Street and is union branch secretary for Hereford and Worcester, said she was joined by about a dozen protesters yesterday morning.

She said: “We are being treated as a political football yet again because it’s an election year. These things happen but we just feel that we should be fairly compensated for what we do.

“The majority of us earn less than the average wage of £23,000 and we do it because we like hard work and serving the public as best we can.”

Ms Baxter said many people were “scared for their jobs” but added she had been heartened by the support from members of the public.

She said: “This is not about money, it never has been.

“It’s about the job which we think we are doing well and want to carry on doing it.” Meanwhile, about eight workers from animal health, HM Revenue and Customs and Natural England formed a picket line outside offices off Whittington Road, Worcester, yesterday.

A similar number are expected to turn out again today. One of those was Bruce Thomas, animal health branch secretary and who is on the union’s group executive committee.

He said: “We feel very strongly about it. This is only the start of it.”