WOOLWICH, LEWISHAM AND BROMLEY: Second day of strikes (From News Shopper)
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WOOLWICH, LEWISHAM AND BROMLEY: Second day of strikes
7:44am Tuesday 9th March 2010 in
Civil servants are to hold a march and rally today (March 9) to mark the second day of a 48-hour strike over cuts to redundancy pay.
Yesterday, there were strikes at Woolwich Crown Court - where Belmarsh prison officers will be joined by ushers and clerks - and Bromley Magistrates’ Court.
Met Police staff were also protesting outside Lewisham Police Station.
Meanwhile, News Shopper received reports the job centre in Bromley town centre was closed due to staff shortages.
Bromley police station was unaffected by the action.
The Public and Commercial Services union claimed more than 200,000 employees had walked out on Monday causing "widespread disruption" to services.
The union said court sittings were cancelled, jobcentres offered limited services, 2,000 driving tests called off, passport appointments hit and border controls at ports and airports disrupted.
But the Cabinet Office maintained that 81,000 PCS members were on strike, adding that 85% of civil servants were working normally.
Ministers said all jobcentres and benefits offices were open, border entry points were working normally and court services were being maintained, while HM Coastguard said only 15 staff of 1,227 were on strike.
Picket lines were mounted outside Government offices across the country as well as the House of Commons - the first protest of its kind in a generation.
The union said there had been "solid support" for the start of the walkout.
To mark the second day of the strike, the PCS will hold a march and rally in central London on Tuesday.
The union is protesting over changes to the civil service compensation scheme which it says will "rob" civil servants of up to a third of their entitlements - worth thousands of pounds - when they leave their jobs.
MPs warned there was "growing consternation" on the Labour backbenches over the dispute especially as it had flared so close to the election.
Comments(5)
jca111
says...
2:16pm Tue 9 Mar 10
My private pension, which I had to contribute out of my own pay, has been decimated over the last couple of years, thanks mainly to the greedy bankers, but also our wonderful PM, then chancellor, GB!
So - anyone who works for the public sector - welcome to the world that the rest of us live in.
It used to be the case that public sector jobs got paid less but had better terms. This is just not true any more. They have similar pay, but still work less hours, have more holidays, retire much earlier, have MUCH better pensions, more perks etc. All this is at our expense.
There is no public appetite for your moaning. So stop whining public sector workers, and realise that the last two years the private sector has been through a rough time - now its your turn.
Tough ain't it?
porkpie
says...
2:56pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Buttercup
says...
6:44pm Tue 9 Mar 10
Excalibur wrote:Excalibur do you ever consider how offensive some of your comments are? I am a member of PCS who didn't strike, my sick leave would make no difference weather I am a member of the union or not. What has made a difference though is I have had some support against bullying bosses who have consistently bullied me due to my disability and left me feeling like I am a worthless piece of S@:t. I guess I could give up work and claim benefits for the rest of my days but who would that help? It would just give you another reason to send offensive emails or would you rather as has been suggested by my bosses that I crawl away and die somewhere? Not all union members are work shy some of us actually want to work and contribute to society.
Well, the photos certainly tell a story don't they?! Is is a pre-requisite for all of these work-shy layabouts to be portly, miserable looking plonkers with poor dress sense? I'm sure they'll find another excuse not to turn up to work tomorrow - sick notes all around, chaps! Why doesn't the News Shopper put in a Freedon of Information Act request to all of these public authorities, asking for details of the average number of sick days that union members take over a twelve month period compared to non-union members. I'm sure there must be a story there!
Excalibur
says...
7:08pm Tue 9 Mar 10
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Staff join a picket line outside Belmarsh Prison, Woolwich
Another protest outside Lewisham police station.
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Excalibur says...
12:21pm Tue 9 Mar 10
I'm sure they'll find another excuse not to turn up to work tomorrow - sick notes all around, chaps!
Why doesn't the News Shopper put in a Freedon of Information Act request to all of these public authorities, asking for details of the average number of sick days that union members take over a twelve month period compared to non-union members. I'm sure there must be a story there!