Strikes loom over pay row (From Warrington Guardian)

Strikes loom over pay row

STRIKES will hit the job centres and benefits offices in Runcorn and Widnes tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday.

Staff in the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union are striking in a national dispute over a pay offer it says is below inflation.

The benefits office in Widnes will be open and manned by managers and non-union staff.

The PCS has around 215 members taking action.

PCS branch secretary, Dave Brown, said: "The support that we seem to be getting from the membership speaking to us seems to be they are quite up for a bit of a fight."

Mr Brown says PCS wants the £22m the Government put aside for performance related pay, to be put into the general pay.

He said the strike could be followed by action short of a strike, such as a ban on overtime.

"This is a national issue, the management here is equally badly paid as anyone and this performance related pay system discriminates against everyone," he said.

"We want to resolve this as quickly as possible we are not out to disrupt people's benefits, but this time we have got to stand up for ourselves."

Affected

The two job centres in Runcorn Old Town and Halton Lea and the job centre in Widnes will also be affected.

The Department of Work and Pensions claimed it had offered an average rise of five per cent.

It said: "Strike action is wholly inappropriate, but the DWP remains willing to talk to the union about the overall shape of the pay deal."