8 April 2011
Thousands of Jobcentre Plus call centre staff will go on strike later this month in a dispute over working conditions and management targets.
The Department for Work and Pensions has failed to reach a deal with the Public and Commercial Services union, which today named April 18 as the date for their strike.
Call centre staff want management to introduce flexible working arrangements and end a target-driven culture, based on ‘unrealistic average call times’.
Some 70% of union members voted in favour of the action in a ballot after negotiations broke down. Turnout was 43%, with members representing 37 call centres across Scotland, Wales and England.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: ‘With unemployment rising and welfare recipients being blamed for an economic crisis they did not cause, it is outrageous that standards are being driven down in Jobcentre Plus.
‘Instead of punishing people who are claiming benefits through no fault of their own, the government should be investing in our public services to help get people back to work quicker and to help our economy grow.’
A spokesman from the DWP said they were disappointed that the union had decided to take industrial action. He said call centre staff had good and flexible terms of employment.
