Mansfield civil servants strike for 'pay rise, pensions and job security'

Public servants in the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) went on strike alongside eight other unions in the UK.

Those on strike included teachers in the National Education Union, members of the National Union of Journalists working for the BBC and junior doctors from the Hospital Doctors' Union.

The country-wide ‘big walkout’ saw more than 130,000 government workers take industrial action, ahead of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Spring Budget announcement in the House of Commons.

Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of the PCS union, said public service workers received the “lowest pay offer anywhere in the country” of 2 per cent which he called a ‘scandal’.

He said after seeing the strikes across the country, he hoped the government would agree to talks and put money on the table.

Andy Chambers, a union advocate from Mansfield, was on the official picket line at Mansfield Civic Centre, on Chesterfield Road.

He said: “With the job centre closures and civil service redundancies the government plans, many thousands of our customers will suffer.

“That's not acceptable to me when I'm trying my best to deliver a professional, effective service.

“That's why I was on the picket line today, and why I implore the government to reconsider.

“Five billion more for weapons, yet they tell us there's no money to provide essential services. No.”

Helen Lewis Barker, Nottinghamshire branch rep and PCS health and safety lead, was on the picket line alongside Mr Chambers.

She said: “Our industrial action is in support of our claim for a 10 per cent pay rise, pensions justice, job security and no cuts to redundancy terms.

“The government states they have more money than they thought, so they should be negotiating over-inflation pay rises.

“As everyone faces a cost of living crisis, civil servants continue to fall behind the private sector.

“We have had years of below inflation increase through austerity and have fallen behind and now see real-term pay cuts of around 12 per cent.”