More civil servants to strike on Budget day

Members of the PCS union walked out on February 1

Strike action by civil servants on the day of the Budget has been escalated, with 33,000 more workers planning to walk out, a union has said.

Around 133,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will now strike on 15 March.

The additional civil servants who voted to join colleagues include staff at HMRC, the Care and Quality Commission and the Welsh government.

The latest action is part of an ongoing row over pay and conditions.

The PCS union represents thousands of people who work in government departments as well as those at organisations such as Ofsted, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Border Force.

It has been calling for a 10% pay rise, better pensions, job security and no cuts to redundancy terms.

But the government has said the union's demands would cost an "unaffordable £2.4bn". Civil servants have been offered a 2% to 3% increase.

The latest workers to vote for action join members in 123 government departments and agencies, which include staff at the Department for Education and the Home Office. On 1 February, about 100,000 civil servants walked out.

A government spokesperson said plans were in place to keep "essential services running and to minimise disruption on 15 March.

"We are working constructively with unions and urge them to recognise what is reasonable and affordable, as the whole country faces these cost of living challenges," the spokesperson added.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who is charge of the government's finances, will outline his plans for taxation and spending next month when he sets out the Budget.

It will be announced at a time when price rises have been squeezing household budgets and workers across different sectors ranging from healthcare to railways have taken industrial action over pay.

Inflation, which measures price rises over time, hit 10.1% in the year to January.

Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, said ministers had "consistently refused" to increase their pay offer.

"They might have hoped we'd go away if they buried their heads in the sand, but they've under-estimated the determination of our members, who were praised for keeping the country running during the pandemic but now taken for granted," he said.

The union has set up a strike fund, which its members are required to pay in £3 to £5 each month. It said this means it can afford to keep strike action going for several more months.

Some teachers, junior doctors, as well as London Underground tube drivers and staff also have strikes planned on 15 March.

The government has previously said public sector pay needs to strike balance between "recognising the vital importance of public sector workers, while delivering value for taxpayers" and avoiding fuelling more inflation.