Benefits staff strike over jobs.

Byline: By Chris Morley

BENEFIT claimants in Birmingham and the Black Country were today faced with disruption as thousands of civil servants joined a nationwide walk-out.

Emergency payments for job seekers and those on incapacity benefit, new claims and helplines were all affected as members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) staged a 48-hour strike.

Small picket lines were set up early today at Jobcentres, pension and invalidity benefit offices around the West Midlands and staff at the Child Support Agency offices in Dudley were also called on to strike.

But early indications suggested support for the strike was patchy and non-union workers were joined by some of their PCS colleagues in going in to work.

The national action, the latest in a series disputes with the Department of Work and Pensions in recent years, was called over government demands for 30,000 job cuts.

Hundreds of staff yesterday attended union rallies outside Handsworth and Perry Barr social security and job centres, Sutton Coldfield Jobcentre Plus and the DWP's Louisa House district office.

Emma Green, a worker at the Handsworth site and national PCS treasurer for the union's DWP section, said: "This is about job cuts and public services because they have cut so many jobs without putting in place systems to cope. It is causing massive delays, chaos and misery for staff and members of the public."

She said the finance office at Handsworth which made emergency jobseeker and incapacity benefit payments was 100 per cent unionised and would not be open today.

A DWP spokeswoman said: "While some offices may close, our robust contingency plans ensure that our top priority, to make payment to our customers, is maintained."