Planned amendments to the terms of redundancies of civil and public servants are set to prompt thousands of such workers to take industrial action, it has been revealed.
According to the Public and Commercial Services Union, over a quarter of a million such employees are planning a 48 hour strike on March 8th and 9th following strong support in a ballot.
The ballot saw 63.4 per cent of voters backing strike action and 81.4 per cent supporting an overtime ban.
Workers likely to walk out during the strike include those employed by the Jobcentre, tax workers, coastguards, border agency officials, courts staff and driving test examiners, the union has warned.
Changes to redundancy for the sector include removing up to a third of employee entitlements, which could see civil and public servants losing out on tens of thousands pf pounds should they lose their job.
Mark Serwotka, the union’s general secretary, said: "We have suggested ways in which the government can make these savings whilst protecting the rights of existing members, yet it seems intent on penalising the people who keep this country running."
Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress recently revealed millions of UK workers are putting in "extreme" unpaid overtime on a weekly basis.