Passport Office workers in Scotland are "relying on food banks", a union representative has said as staff launch their five-week strike action today. More than 1,000 members of Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) at eight sites across the UK, including Glasgow, are walking out in an escalation of an increasingly bitter dispute over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's morning programme, PCS Scotland branch secretary Andrew Bain said that "20 to 30" people had met him on the picket line at the Glasgow office. He said: "We've been offered 2 per cent but most people will only ever see 1 per cent of that. We've had two pay increases this year for our PO1 grade but that's because it would fall under minimum wage, that's just how dire it is at the Passport Office at the moment.
"We've got members of staff who are relying on benefits and food banks, members of staff who are spending their wages on their housing costs. We cannot do anything other than take this action."
