Second civil service union considers action

The Prospect professional union is to run industrial action ballots across a broad range of civil service employers after the government confirmed that no more money would be found for pay, despite the cost of living crisis.

Members will be balloted in the Health and Safety Executive; Intellectual Property Office; Animal and Plant Health Agency; Defence Science and Technology Laboratory; and the Met Office.

Indicative ballots run by the union prior to the announcement showed that 93% of those voting had been in favour of industrial action short of a strike, while 80% had voted in favour of strike action.

Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy said: “It is disappointing that ministers have chosen not to make further funding available for pay to address the catastrophic cost of living crisis civil servants are facing. They are the worst treated in the public service. Therefore we have no choice but to move to formal ballots of our members on industrial action.”

If they vote for industrial action, they will join thousands of other workers taking action across the civil service (see page 15).