PCS calls for Budget Day pay rise as 130,000 civil and public servants take strike action

More than 130,000 civil and public servants are today walking out in what is expected to be the largest strike in the civil service for decades.

PCS members in 132 government departments are taking action in their long-running dispute over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and job security.

The strike is a reminder that civil and public servants play a crucial role in all aspects of public life, helping citizens from cradle to grave.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka has warned today's action is just the start of strikes that could last until November and beyond unless the government puts money on the table.

He said: “On Budget Day we’re asking Jeremy Hunt to give our hard-working members a fair pay rise. We’ve been given a 2% pay rise when food inflation was 16% last week. 40,000 civil servants use food banks and 45,000 claim in-work benefits because they’re so poor.

"The government can stop these strikes today by putting money on the table for our members. If they don’t, our action will escalate. Where the Westminster government has a direct involvement in disputes, very little progress has been made.

“Shamefully, ministers don’t seem interested in giving their own employees a fair pay rise to help them through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.”

Last month 100,000 PCS members took action; they have since been joined by 33,000 others in nine other departments, including HMRC.

PCS members in 186 government departments will be re-balloted for strike action that could last until November.