Civil servants fight job cuts.Byline: Hazel Ettienne , Fighting job cuts At Castle House are (from left), Liz O'Hara, Patricia Simpson and Mark Ferdinand Thousands join 48-hour walkout STAFF at Huddersfield Job Centre and benefits offices today started a two-day strike as part of a national protest over job cuts. Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is the sixth largest union trade union in the United Kingdom. Most of its members work in positions in government departments and public bodies, although some work in information technology for private companies. were on picket duty outside Crown House and Castle House in the town centre. Union representative Ian Siswick, of the Kirklees and Calderdale branch of the union, said its main concern was job cuts. "They've got rid of 15,000 staff nationwide and there are another 15,000 to go," he said. "We're extremely concerned about the way benefit processing is being moved from Huddersfield to Halifax. Many staff are very worried for their jobs." Mr Siswick said the union had a 75% membership of workers across the offices in Kirklees and Calderdale. Nationally, thousands of workers in Jobcentres, benefits offices and the Child Support Agency are involved in the 48-hour walkout. The Public and Commercial Services Union was mounting picket lines outside all Department for Work and Pensions The Department for Work and Pensions (or DWP) (Welsh: Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau) is the largest government department in the Government of the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001, from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and offices across the UK. The union claims the cuts are causing a "crisis" in the department with delayed claims and people having to wait weeks to see a jobs adviser. The union has said that services were often on the "verge of collapse" because of the 15,000 jobs which have already been cut. The union's general secretary Mark Serwotka Mark Serwotka (born 1963) is the General Secretary of the British trade union for civil servants, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS). He took office on 1 June 2002. He is seen to be one of the trade union "awkward squad". said: "It is evident that job cuts are pushing services depended upon by the most disadvantaged in society into meltdown meltdown Occurrence in which a huge amount of thermal energy and radiation is released as a result of an uncontrolled chain reaction in a nuclear power reactor. The chain reaction that occurs in the reactor's core must be carefully regulated by control rods, which absorb . A Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman said: "We are absolutely committed to our service to the public. "While some offices may close, our robust contingency plans ensure that our top priority, to make payment to our customers, is maintained, while minimising the impact industrial action may have on our services." Shadow work and pensions secretary Philip Hammond Philip Hammond (born 4 December 1955) is a British politician. He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge and the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. said: "The Government has failed to achieve the promised modernisation of key processes and now this strike action will deprive many vulnerable people of the benefit payments they rely on. "Whatever the Government says, service users do not accept that a telephone call centre offers an equivalent service to the face-to-face contact that is being phased out." |
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