More than 130,000 civil servants are on strike today and members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) across 132 government departments have joined the picket lines.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, accused the Government of waging an “ideological war” and then said ministers are “bullying” civil servants.
Serwotka said, “When you look at how badly ministers treat their own staff, it’s impossible not to think this is an ideological war on civil servants.
“The evidence stacks up – ministers bullying their staff, giving our members the worst pay rise in the country, refusing to give them a back-dated pay claim or lump sum like they’ve given everyone else, failing even to negotiate with us – so how else do you explain it?
“How else do you explain the incessant attacks by Government ministers on their own workforce, if it’s not a point of principle?
“We were lauded throughout the pandemic, including by the Prime Minister when he was chancellor, yet now we’re treated worse than anyone else, so it’s no wonder our members’ anger is growing.
“Ministers should be setting an example to employers, paying their own staff a fair wage, not leading the race to the bottom.”
