Bolton: Universal Credit union workers strike over pay

Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) who work for Universal Credit at Elizabeth House formed a picket line in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Almost a dozen workers at the branch, who work for the Department for Workplace and Pensions, braved the wind and rain to make their feelings clear.

It is the union’s first strike since 2015 after the law changed to require 50 per cent of members to be in favour.

“That says something about what the conditions are like at the moment,” PCS Bolton and Bury branch secretary Michael Hepworth said.

Their specific demands include a 10 per cent pay rise to keep up with inflation, consolidated and secure pensions, a stoppage to the closure of offices, and to stop cuts to redundancy pay.

Michael Hepworth (Image: Newsquest)

"We were all essential workers during Covid,” Mr Hepworth added. “Everybody was getting clapped.

“During the year of Covid they saw fit to give us two per cent but the year after we got zero per cent and this last pay year we got two per cent when inflation is 10 per cent.

"Our wages have gone backwards for the last 15 years."

Joint chair of PCS, Steve Gibson, said: “We’re also protesting against the way that the Government’s treated everybody in the country over the last year. It’s just been disgusting.

“The Government can give themselves a 16 per cent rises, claim unlimited expenses, we’ve got corrupt former Prime Ministers.

"It’s not just us, it’s the NHS and all public sector workers that have been treated so badly.”

“We would like the Government to recognise us and pay us what we deserve.

“We want our roles to be reevaluated. As Universal Credit workers we support the most vulnerable people in the country who can’t find work.

Steve Gibson (Image: Newsquest)

“No one withdraws their labour unless it’s a last resort. The Government refuses to negotiate. Sunak is trying to make strikes illegal – they’re taking our basic rights away on top of our money.”

On the pension situation, Mr Hepworth added: “We’re paying too much for out pensions. We took the Government to court over this.

“We’re paying 4.6 per cent towards our pensions and the Government has the auditors in and they said we should only be paying 2.6 per cent so we’ve been overpaying for years.”

Jane Godwin says that the majority of the staff paid £9.93 an hour and are struggling to afford to pay their bills.

“It’s diabolical and it’s not as if a lot of them are new starters. I think it was five years ago since the last intake of staff.

“It’s a disgrace that we’re paid so little, and you can go to McDonalds and get paid £12.20 an hour for flipping burgers.”

Nationally PCS members across 123 government departments have walked out today.

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