Around 250,000 civil and public servants will be balloted for strike action after the government refused to negotiate over cuts to pensions, pay and working conditions, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) announced today.

The union has threatened to organise a series of strikes including full, half-days and shorter walkouts to take place over a period of time, and plans to seek support of other unions, if negotiations do not take place.

The announcement to ballot members, due to take place between Friday 8 February and Monday 4 March, emerged after head of the civil service Bob Kerslake refused to discuss union calls to reconsider a rise in the pension age, a reduction to pension benefits and an increase to pension contributions.

Other calls include a minimum pay rise of 5 per cent or £1,200 for all civil servants this year and for living wages to underpin all government contracts.

This new ballot will replace the one the union held in June 2011 which had led to strikes over pensions in 2011 and 2012.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Civil and public servants are working harder than ever to provide the services that we all rely on, yet their lives are being made more difficult by cuts to their jobs, pay, pensions and now even their basic working conditions.

“Instead of rewarding them for their effort and commitment, this Tory-led government is pressing ahead with cuts that are wrecking our economy, while shamefully trying to deflect the blame for failure onto civil servants.

"We are not prepared to accept these cuts and, if the government continues to refuse to talk to us to try to reach a settlement, we will be drawing up plans for a series of walkouts in the coming months.”

Share Story: