09 November 2001
PCS members at the Makerfield Benefits Centre in Lancashire voted in favour of industrial action on November 6, bringing the number of offices affected by the strike to 58 – representing 70% of all PCS members.
The union has encouraged strike action by Benefits Agency and Employment Service staff over a perceived lack of security in the new Job Centre Plus offices – merged benefits and job centres set up by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
The £1m centres are open-plan offices with face-to-face interview facilities and offer, the PCS claims, little protection for staff from potentially violent claimants.
Makerfield was viewed as a litmus test for strike action by both the union and management, as it processes benefit applications from offices already on strike.
Alistair Darling, the DWP secretary, criticised the reasoning behind the Makerfield ballot. 'These are staff who process benefits and who never come into contact with the public – they are completely unaffected by the issue of screens,' he said.
Darling believes the PCS is planning to bring out staff in action deliberately designed to affect vulnerable claimants just before Christmas.
However, PCS general secretary-elect Mark Serwotka told Public Finance: 'The action is not a calculated attempt to disrupt claims, it is simply a matter of the union acting to protect its workforce.'
PFnov2001
