08 February 2002
The Public and Commercial Services union is planning five days of strikes during February and is balloting members on an overtime ban and work-to-rule, in a major escalation of a dispute over the removal of safety screens at the new 'Jobcentre Plus' offices.
The union says the open-plan offices, which merge the functions of the Benefits Agency and the Employment Service, leave staff vulnerable to attacks from angry claimants.
The PCS said 40,000 benefits staff staged a two-day walkout on January 27 and 28 after bosses refused a union offer to refer the dispute to Acas, the conciliation service, despite a call from Tony Blair for similar mediation to resolve the rail disputes.
In a letter to staff, Jobcentre boss Leigh Lewis said: 'The fundamental principles behind the delivery of Jobcentre Plus are, as you know, at the heart of the welfare service modernisation to which the government is committed. They are not ones about which it is appropriate to seek arbitration.'
Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary elect, said Acas officials were willing to mediate in the dispute. 'It is outrageous that Jobcentre Plus management have refused to hold constructive talks to try to resolve what is now the biggest civil service dispute in 15 years,' he said.
The union claims there have already been 'violent incidents' in some of the 17 Jobcentre Plus offices that have opened so far, including the 'showcase' office in Streatham, south London. Another, in Harlesden, northwest London, was smashed up by a claimant wielding a bicycle chain.
A DWP spokesman said security was being improved with the introduction of security guards and CCTV cameras, but claimed the removal of screens helped to 'defuse tension'.
Work and Pensions Secretary Alistair Darling called the action 'ineffective and pointless' and said Jobcentre Plus offices were 'safer environments for staff and customers alike'.
PFfeb2002
