On Thursday the 24th and Friday 25th of April, PCS workers will take part in the latest of a series of days of strike action in defence of pay and conditions.

PCS members in the DWP should be congratulated for their readiness to take further strike action in the face of one of the worst employers in the country – this Government. DWP workers were the first to take on the Governments pay restraint policy in their fantastically strong and united strike action on December 6th and 7th.

The left unity leadership in DWP and nationally in PCS, have worked hard to galvanise support across the public sector in the face of these crude attempts by the government to drive down public sector running costs by robbing the pay packets of public sector workers.

Civil servants have been badly hit and strikes held in the maritime and coastguard agency, DVLA, the Home Office and a number of other departments. Teachers in the NUT are on strike in England alongside a number of other unions who are all striking on the same day.

 The TUC are being forced to support these strikes, such is the level of anger among workers against this colossal attack on pay.

Workers in DWP are predominantly low paid, in this imposed 3 year offer the lowest paid are a mere 24p above the National minimum Wage. The offer is worth 3% over 3 years – 1% a year although because they got a whopping 2% last year staff are set to get 0% this year.

A recent report revealed that 25% of children officially classed as living in poverty have one or more parents working in the public sector –many of them probably children of DWP workers. In the budget the chancellor made much of the need to eradicate child poverty bringing in a little extra help on child tax credits.

PCS members are rightly furious that they need benefits to lift their kids out of poverty to subsidise their Child tax credits subsidise the worst, meanest employers in this country, it is nothing short of shameful that under Labour, the Government has now joined their ranks. The Government argues that public sector pay restraint is vital to stop the economy crashing, they have demonstrated this by restricting themselves to a 1.8% rise –even in percentage terms more than DWP staff are getting.

DWP staff will also have been interested to hear in the news last week that if you are an MP you can also claim £10k for a new kitchen, £6k for a new bathroom and £2k for a new sofa – all for your MPs second home. MPs can also claim an unbelievable £300 for a mirror; they should buy one and take a long hard look at themselves. Within DWP all is not equal, senior DWP bosses are not subject to the same pay offer – apparently their massive salaries are not inflationary enabling Leigh Lewis to get a £9k increase a £4k bonus and a chauffeur driven car.

Management squandered over £40 million a year on bonuses trying to buy PCS members off with money stolen out of their own pay packets. PCS members know that the importance of winning this dispute is about more than just money – management are trying to drive down wages and ruin the department in an attempt to ripen DWP for privatisation. Brown is continuing with the New Labour programme of welfare reforms to put the responsibility and blame onto the individual for being out of work.

There are huge targets in the government white paper to get claimants back into work – one million sick and disabled, 300,000 single parents and one million older workers. There will be an increase in 'work focused' support to all claimants which will then be linked to an increase in pressure to take work. This is at the same time as a looming recession that will increase the number of job-seekers generally.

But even now, whole parts of the DWP are in disarray with huge backlogs of work. Our sections have been cut to the bone and our members have the frustration of not being able to deliver the services that we want to provide to the public as there's not enough staff. The government wants to use welfare provision and helping people into work as an election issue. So they had better listen to the demands of PCS members. PCS members are determined that by sticking together we will get the living wage we deserve.

The scale of the betrayal of all public sector workers and DWP in particular, by this Labour Government is unforgivable. PCS members have learned this lesson.Many of the best PCS reps in DWP are searching for a real political alternative to New Labour which is why Solidarity is striving to build a powerful voice for workers and trade unionists. 

Join us in the fight to build a real alternative to new labour and the rest of the political establishment.

Join Solidarity.