Members at The Pensions Regulator back on strike this week

The members at The Pensions Regulator will take action on January 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 24, 25, 26, 30 and 31, plus February 1, after being offered a 3% pay rise while other civil service employers are paying 4.5%. 

PCS membership at TPR has risen by 163% since the dispute started in September. And PCS members are reporting that the ongoing strike action is creating a backlog of work and systemic disruption to TPR’s ability to deliver on their statutory duties.

“The simplest way I can put this is that we have a choice to make - either send a message now and hope for change or give up and leave TPR,” one member at TPR said.

“Personally I waited 3 years to get some kind of pay rise which reflects the work we put in throughout the pandemic and the pay freeze, and was rewarded with a net 0.7% increase.”

Another member said it “is a shame that l was left with no choice but to take strike action due the actions and responses of my employer,” adding that they have been “frustrated and bewildered by TPR’s refusal to meet with the union to resolve this matter”. 

This latest phase of action comes after members voted in a ballot for more action by a margin of 95.70% on a turnout of 75%.

PCS has had numerous meetings with TPR management and is actively looking for a resolution to the dispute. We do not believe that negotiations are exhausted.

Commenting on this latest round of action, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said that TPR aims to ‘build people’s confidence in pensions’  bur asks: "how can it build confidence in the wider world when it’s lost the confidence of its own workforce?” 

How to show your support

• Visit the picket lines on strike days outside Telecom House, 125-135 Preston Road, Brighton BN1 6AF.   
• Send messages of support to editor@pcs.org.uk    
• You can also support our striking members by making an online donation to our strike fund.

Not yet a PCS member? Join online today.