Union plans budget day picket lines to embarrass government

The chancellor, Alistair Darling, will have to cross at least two picket lines of striking civil servants on his way to deliver his budget after a union announced new industrial action designed to embarrass the government on the most politically important day before the election. Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will strike next Wednesday, bringing disruption to benefits offices, job centres, courts, ports and parliament. It follows a two-day strike last week over plans to reduce payouts for civil servants who were made redundant in order to save £500m over three years. By setting up picket lines at Downing Street and around parliament, the union hopes to maximise disruption when the country's eyes are on Westminster for the chancellor's speech next Wednesday. The government insists it has already compromised with unions to protect low-paid workers and preserve their higher payouts. But the unions say their members still stand to lose thousands of pounds and that the deal is part of moves to make it cheaper to sack people as the government tries to reduce its wage bill. The stand-off is now one of the most protracted between a civil service union and the government in history. It anticipates a court attempt to rule the new compensation scheme, which comes into force on 1 April, illegal. Four of the five unions involved have agreed to the deal. The PCS claims that up to 200,000 of its members took part in last week's strikes, but the cabinet office says the figure was nearer 80,000. Around 80% of security staff in parliament took part, according to the PCS, and police were drafted in to take their place. On Friday the union is planning to take a battle bus to Dulwich and West Norwood, the cabinet secretary Tessa Jowell's constituency, while members of the union will be lobbying MPs and handing out leaflets in marginal seats around the country. Members are already operating an overtime ban. Mark Serwotka, the PCS general secretary, said: "The government … needs to recognise the anger it has provoked in tearing up the contracts of hard-working civil servants. This is a deliberate plan to bring disruption on budget day and get our message across." Jowell said: "It is very disappointing that PCS continues to reject a deal which all the other unions agree is fair to both staff and taxpayers. We have been clear that this is the final settlement and I urge the leadership of PCS to call off their planned industrial action. "We have responded to union concerns by ensuring additional protection for lower paid staff. This means that the vast majority of civil servants who earn £20,000 or less – nearly half the entire workforce – will see little or no change. "Around 70% of PCS members decided not to take part in last week's action. This low turnout for two days in a row by PCS members supports the view that after 18 months of negotiation and consultation, the right deal has been reached."