KENT NEWS:
Customs and immigration officers based at the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel employed by the UK Border Agency joined civil servants in a 48-hour strike today (Mon, Mar 8).
Border controls across the south were affected as members of the Public and Commercial Services Union staged the two-day walkout in a row over cuts to redundancy pay.
Just a handful of workers, including senior managers, reported for duty at the docks, said the union, while a similar number went into work at the Cheriton Channel Tunnel terminal.
A union spokesman said: “The strike has been very well supported and, while we don’t want to go out, that shows the strength of feeling among our members.
“At Dover around four to five people came in, tops, and that includes some very senior managers.
“We have four teams in operation at the Channel Tunnel – between 40 and 50 people – and just a couple showed up for work.
“The union has been very solid over this issue.”
The action also involves Jobcentre and Land Registry staff, tax-workers and courts staff.
Union officers say it has been called as the Government wants to save £500 million by capping pay-offs to those who are made redundant or take voluntary redundancy.
The spokesman said: “With civil and public-service jobs increasingly at risk, this is a cynical attempt to cut jobs on the cheap which will ultimately damage the services we all rely on.
“The cuts to the redundancy scheme will see loyal civil and public servants lose tens of thousands of pounds if they are forced out of a job.”
POSTED: 08/03/2010 13:38:45
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