Brits to be hit by benefits chaos as DWP announce staff strikes over Christmas
BRITS are due to be hit by benefits chaos as the DWP announce the dates staff will strike over Christmas.
Union members at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are set to walk out for two weeks over the festive period.
The industrial action will start on December 19 and finish on December 30.
Around 200 back office benefits staff are expected to take part along with 30 at three offices in Liverpool and one in Doncaster.
The strike is not expected to affect anyone’s benefits payments but the union expect to disrupt benefit “conditionality” interviews which would usually lead to sanctions.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union strike is on nine days - December 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30 and 31.
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The PCS said the “targeted” action would cover only a fraction of the union’s DWP members, but warned more dates are likely to follow
The union is demanding a 10 per cent pay rise for its members.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Our members have been plunged into ever-increasing depths of poverty.
“They shouldn’t have to rely on foodbanks to feed their children or be forced to make the choice of either working from home because the journey into work is too expensive or working in the cold under blankets because the cost of heating is too expensive.
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“It’s a disgrace that our members in the DWP – the government’s own employees – are claiming the benefits they pay out to others.”
The news comes after more than 100,000 civil servant members of the PCS voted to strike at 126 government bodies.
Twelve days of rolling strike action has already been announced at National Highways over Christmas and the New Year.
A month of industrial action across 250 sites of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Rural Payments Agency has also been announced.
December looks set to be a month of chaos for many with a number of workers set to strike - all the details are here.
