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Two-day DWP strike ends

Ed | 20.03.2008 19:18 | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements

Thousands of Job Centre and benefit office staff carried out a 48-hour strike this week against a new three-year pay deal.



It was the second 48-hour stoppage in protest of the imposed three-year pay deal, which works out as an average 1% a year for some staff.

Pickets had been outside Department for Work and Pension (DWP) offices across the country and the strike has been "solidly" supported though the DWP claimed that all of their offices were open for business as usual. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union claimed jobcentres and benefit offices were closed, and those that remained open offered little or no service to the public.

A striking worker on a picket line outside a DWP office in central London said: "We perform a vital job in helping the unemployed back into work and paying pensions and benefits to millions - we should be valued for this work". More than half of DWP staff earn less than £17,700 and some as little as £12,500 a year.

The union has called on the department to scrap plans to spend millions of pounds on bonuses and use the money to ensure that all staff receive a pay in line with inflation.

Ed
- Homepage: http://libcom.org/news

Comments

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Do they need support?

21.03.2008 10:12

Having had to go to tribunal to get my benefit after being disabled, it was refused completely by a DWP bastard who had never met me or seen the pain I was in, the stress of not having any money to buy food and pay rent for over 5 months made my condition much much worse.
I see these people as part of the system a bit like the police they carry out the governments wishes, I don't see them protesting the ideas about, like giving them bonuses for kicking people off benefits. Hasseling people for not having a job kicking people off benefits, giving them loads of grief, forcing people to to go on training courses which have no merit. They are not nurses or firemen they are not working on behalf of people in need, they on the whole work for the system for their own gain.
Would you support the police if they went on strike.
fuck em I say

disabled


Cut'n'paste commies

21.03.2008 15:54

"Would you support the police if they went on strike."

They supported the prison officers so why wouldn't they ? I notice LibCom are still just plagarising mainstream media while promoting the state agents that oppress activists the most. Heres the original this time:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7303175.stm

Danny