CIVIL servants are on Friday taking part in the second day of a 48-hour strike over pay.

With 40 Bolton court staff joining the dispute, only county court hearings took place in the town yesterday.

Union chiefs leading industrial action at Bolton Crown Court insisted it was "payback time" for staff.

Tricia Harris, the Public and Commercial Services Union branch assistant secretary, said staff had co-operated with many crime initiatives over the years and believed it was time they were given fair pay.

The Government has offered them a 2.8 per cent rise. Workers say it is not enough to cover the increase in living costs.

Miss Harris, who has worked at the Crown Court for 25 years, said: "Staff have co-operated in countless flavour-of-the-month initiatives like street crime and persistent young offenders.

"Over the past five years in particular, we have implemented changes to legislation virtually constantly across civil, family and criminal work."

Across England and Wales, 20,000 civil servants went on strike, disrupting court cases.

Among those on strike were ushers and clerical staff. Workers in Bolton rejected the government's offer by 10-1. It is the first strike by the union for 10 years.

Clerical staff earn £13,274 to £16,188 and ushers are on £11,539 to £13,575. The maximum pay bands have been frozen for three years, Miss Harris said.

UNISON, the UK's largest union, has lodged a claim for four per cent plus £200 on behalf of its 800 members in local government. It includes a demand for £6-an-hour minimum wage, increased annual leave, better maternity provision and improved parental leave.