DfT and DVLA civil servants strike over pay
26/02/2008(16:21)
Over 8,500 civil servants are planning to strike on Friday in a dispute over pay which could ground some transport services to a halt.
Civil servants in the Department for Transport (DfT) and five of its agencies will hold the one day strike due to a series of below inflation pay offers.
In addition the strike, by members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will protest against widening pay gaps between men and women.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of PCS, said: "Pay in the civil service is a mess, no more so than in the DfT and its agencies where pay inequality and low pay are being fuelled by below inflation pay offers.
"They [the government] need to act to stem the growing unrest by introducing a common pay system and by paying a fair wage that doesn't represent a pay cut in real terms."
The Union objects to starting salaries being as low as £12,528 and a pay gap of £2,524 between the DVLA and the DfT.
Services like driving test centres and regional offices which control the flow of motorway traffic will be affected.
Following the strike on February 29th PCS will hold action short of a strike until calls for a common pay system are met.
PCS also represents the Met Police, who recently begun voting on whether to take strike action over below inflation pay offers.
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