Solidarity with striking civil servants

Today, around 100,000 civil servants are striking across Scotland, Wales & England.

They are not doing so lightly. This industrial action has come as a result of many years pay rises being constrained or frozen.

PCS Union have revealed the impact of poor pay on workers, with their research suggesting that around 40,000 civil servants have had to resort to seeking help from food banks in the last year.

Over 47,000 civil servants rely on the social security system — the very benefits that many of today's striking DWP staff administer — just to get by.

The shocking scandal of in-work poverty in the civil service must be addressed.

After imposing 13 years of austerity, the Tories have nowhere to hide from the consequences of their cuts.

The British Government needs to do the right thing and urgently fund proper pay rises for the public sector.

Instead it is removing the right to strike and threatening workers with the sack if they seek better pay and conditions.

✍🏻 On Friday, I met with some of my constituents who are @PCS_Scotland members. Later this week, they are reluctantly taking strike action because of the sheer intransigence of UK Government Ministers. Below is my letter to the Paymaster General. 👇 pic.twitter.com/EWSbNVRksH

— David Linden MP (@DavidLinden) January 30, 2023

Today's strikes are a very visible indication that Westminster isn't working.

Scotland's workers are being held back by a remote government they didn't elect and one which seems determined to demonise them.

I'm supporting PCS Union every single step of the way in this dispute and I'm in solidarity with the workers on picket lines today who deserve the see change.