More than a quarter of a million furious public-sector workers are to be balloted for strike action over the coalition's savage cuts to pensions, jobs and pay. Public servants' union PCS confirmed today that it will ballot its members for national industrial action.
The vote came on the day that the government announced it was to "mutualise" the body which deals with Civil Service pensions, which PCS argues is merely privatisation through the back door.
The union said that the decision, announced by the Cabinet Office this week, flies in the face of what My Civil Service Pension (MyCSP) staff say they want and goes against Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude's claim that he would consult the workforce before any changes were made.
The PCS said the plan was not a move towards "mutualisation" as there had been no consent or co-operation and it did not involve co-ownership.
"It is being branded as such to make privatisation sound more attractive," a spokesman said.
Members have overwhelmingly said that they do not want to go down this route and want to retain their Civil Service status, which would include having access to the Civil Service pension schemes, he said.
But the government has refused.
The PCS national executive committee will now submit an emergency motion at the union's annual conference next month for endorsement.
The motion will be the first item on the conference agenda on May 18 and if agreed the ballot would commence the following week.
The union is encouraging its members to attend their branch meetings in the coming days and weeks in advance of the conference debate.
PCS national president Janice Godrich said: "We are committed to ensuring our members have every opportunity to discuss these important issues before our annual conference next month.
"We are widely publicising what our NEC will be asking conference delegates to endorse and we're urging all our members to attend their branch meetings so their reps can fully represent their views."
PCS confirmed that it was talking to other unions about the potential of co-ordinating ballots.
General secretary Mark Serwotka said: "At least half a million people marched for the alternative on March 26 and now we are saying we must be prepared to strike for the alternative.
"We are talking to other unions and will seek to ensure that any action we take has the widest possible support to put the maximum pressure on the government to end its ideological attacks on people who everyone acknowledges did nothing to cause the recession."
