Civil servants say they will strike with teachers
CIVIL servants will join teachers in a mass walkout that could see 750,000 public sector workers strike over pension reforms.
The strike will run parallel to a month-long ban on overtime and could be followed up by a second, even bigger, wave of action in the autumn.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said yesterday 250,000 workers have voted for a 24-hour walkout on 30 June, joining the two main teaching unions, which announced strike action on Tuesday.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Schools will be shut, job centres closed, driving licences won’t be issued, queues will form at airports and ports.
“There will not be any person in the UK that will not see the effectiveness of this action. The ballot mandate from our members is that we will take national strikes with other unions and we believe this will be the first of a number of those.”
The government argues public sector pensions have become unsustainable because people are living longer. Ministers say they are also unfair to private sector workers, who retire later and receive fewer benefits.
Unions say the plans will mean people will have to work longer and pay more for worse pensions.