Care Quality Commission workers to strike

PCS members working for health regulator Care Quality Commission are next week on strike for two days.

The 90 staff in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Nottingham regulate health and social care bodies across England, including hospitals, care homes, GP practices and dental surgeries, ensuring the safe delivery of services.

They will take action on May 2 and 3 and will be joined by colleagues in UNISON and Unite on May 2, bringing the total of strikers to more than 1,000. The PCS strike is part of the union’s national campaign for better pay, pensions and redundancy terms and job security.

The action follows today's strike by 133,000 PCS members in 132 government departments, takes place in the same week as strikes at the Passport Office and Department for Work and Pensions and ahead of a 15-day strike by workers at His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Our hard-working members at the CQC take pride in their jobs but have been taken for granted for too long.

“It’s time the government recognised the importance of their work and give them a fair pay rise.

“Low or no wage increases over many years have forced increasing numbers to quit their work. Many who still work there are relying on foodbanks to get by – that’s no way for the government to treat its own workforce or to run a department that has a vital role in keeping people safe.”

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