07 June 2013, 07:44:32 | Pete Murray
Thousands of civil servants working in the courts and justice system begin a programme of rolling strike action today.
It comes as workers at the DWP and HM Revenue and Customs complete a week of stoppages over cuts to pay, pensions and the rights of union reps.
Staff in magistrates’, crown and county courts, tribunals and other agencies across the UK will walk out at 1pm today.
PCS says they will be followed on Monday (10 June) by colleagues in the Crown Prosecution Service and National Offender Management Service.
Further walk-outs are planned for the following week.
The strikes form part of the union’s three-month civil service-wide campaign against imposed cuts to pay, pensions, jobs and working conditions, which has involved weeks of industrial action among the union’s 250,000 public sector members since a national walkout on budget day on 20 March.
Earlier this week the union supported the legal aid protest outside the Ministry of Justice headquarters in London and launched a report in parliament called ‘Justice in meltdown’, which highlights the damage being done to our justice system by government cuts.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “These workers provide vital services every day across our justice system, and they do not deserve to be shunned by ministers who are refusing to even talk to us about the cuts they are imposing.”
You can watch our film report on the dispute here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bEFXKd9MB0E
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