A leading civil servants union has accused the government of ignoring its offer of talks to avert strikes and failing to even acknowledge its decision to take strike action.
Tens of thousands of public sector members of the Prospect union will strike on 15 March and work to rule indefinitely after voting overwhelmingly for industrial action.
However, Mike Clancy, the general secretary, said the Cabinet Office had not responded to its decision to go on strike and also ignored its offer of intensive talks in an attempt to come to a resolution.
At least 80% of Prospect union members – who work for organisations such as the Met Office, Health and Safety Executive and Natural England – voted for strike action and 92% were in favour of action short of a strike, on a turnout of 72%, well over the legal threshold of 50%.
Clancy said: “Prospect members working in the civil service have voted overwhelmingly for strike action over pay, proposed cuts to redundancy terms and job cuts. They do not take industrial action lightly and are a barometer of the strength of feeling in the civil service.
“In my letter to the minister for the Cabinet Office informing him of the outcome, I said I would clear my diary for intensive talks to discuss a fair offer for our members.
“No offer has been forthcoming, and the minister has not even had the courtesy to acknowledge the letter. Our committed public servants deserve better.”
Prospect’s action on 15 March, which is budget day, will coincide with a strike by Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members in the civil service and other public sector workers, taking the number of civil servants participating in industrial action that day to up to 150,000.
Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the PCS, called on Rishi Sunak to meet his union, which is expecting more than 100,000 members to participate in a rolling wave of strike action this week, from driving examiners to Ofsted workers.
Serwotka said: “The government has told hard-working civil servants they have to accept a 2% pay rise during a cost-of-living crisis when inflation is 10%.
“Our members across the civil service may do different jobs but they all share the same anger at how they are shamefully treated by a prime minister who won’t even engage with their union.
“Rishi Sunak can resolve our dispute by putting some money on the table so our members get a fair pay rise. Until he does, our strike action will continue to escalate, including 133,000 members going on strike on budget day.”
In response to Prospect saying no discussions about their planned strikes have taken place, a government spokesperson said: “Industrial action should always be a last resort, and discussions continue with civil service unions. We urge them to recognise what is reasonable and affordable, as the whole country faces these cost of living challenges.”
