Workers on the Department for Education have voted to head on strike in a row over spending cuts and job losses.
Members of the general public and Commercial Services union backed walkouts by a majority of virtually two to 1, and other kinds of commercial action by nearly nine to at least one. The union said turnout inside the ballot was 37.5%.
The PCS said it believed the education secretary, Michael Gove, was using the dep. as an ideological testbed for wider civil service cuts. It said about 1,000 jobs were under threat as a result of the cuts.
The union’s general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said: “These cuts are purely political and wouldn’t only mean misery for 1,000 of Mr Gove’s own staff but additionally put in peril some vital public services, reminiscent of ensuring children are safe at college and supporting special educational needs.”
The PCS accused the dep. of using a management consultant to aid draft plans to axe greater than 1 / 4 of its workforce. Serwotka said the involvement of a management consultancy at a senior level inside the department should ring alarm bells.
“There are serious inquiries to answer a couple of conflict of interest, given [the consultancy] can be allowed to bid for future contracts after receiving such privileged access,” he said.
The Department for Education said: “We’re disappointed that the PCS has voted in favour of strike action. Now we have held extensive discussions with the PCS and we’re consulting with staff at the proposed changes. Now we have made it clear that we wish to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible.
“We’d like this country to have the correct education system and the correct children’s services. To gain this we must create a department that delivers a good service to the general public, while ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.
“It’s entirely wrong of the PCS to indicate that the DfE review will in anyway have an effect on the security of kids or the support available for people with special educational needs.”
