Support Jobcentre Contact Centre strikes

Submitted by Matthew on 19 January, 2011 - 12:45

3,500 civil servants in the Department for Work and Pensions will strike on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 January against dramatic changes to their work conditions.

The workers, members of the PCS union, are based at seven sites across the country — Bristol, the Chorlton district of Manchester, Glasgow, Makerfield, Newport, Norwich and Sheffield. The offices currently process benefit claims and deal with enquiries on the phone. Now management are “transforming” these sites into call centres.

DWP has been moving to a call centre model of working for a number of years. PCS advocates dealing with claimants face to face.

Telephony work is universally hated by workers in DWP due to the work regime, known as scheduling, and the tyrannical management. Contact Centre Directorate, as it is known, has the highest rates of sick leave, turnover and mental health problems, such as stress and depression, in DWP.

The workers are demanding proper access to flexible working, as enjoyed by other workers in DWP, varied work and an end to the target culture.

Many PCS activists in the areas concerned have complained about the delay in balloting for action. The initial proposals were announced in November 2009!

The work is organised presents problems in taking effective action. Telephony work in DWP is on a virtual network. Management can divert calls to any number of the contact or benefit delivery centres that are not on strike, and can take calls. PCS has issued no guidance to branches on what to do if the work of strikers is diverted to non-striking PCS members.

But this is a vitally important dispute that is about re-gaining some dignity at work.

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