Driving examiners across Stamford and Rutland join strike action
This industrial action is taking place until December 31st and again on January 3rd
Driving examiners across Stamford and Rutland are going on strike today, over pay, jobs and working conditions.
This industrial action is taking place until new years eve and again on January the 3rd.
This means that driving tests booked between this time will likely be affected.
"For the last two decades we have had below inflation pay-rises"
Paul Williams is from the Public and Commercial Services Union:
"For the last two decades we have had below inflation pay-rises and last year we had nothing. This year we have been given a 2% rise when inflation stands at 10%.
"We are also facing cuts to redundancy scheme, we are also facing cuts where our members are over paying for their pensions and the Government is refusing to pay us back on that. We are also faced with job losses".
"We are asking for an inflation free pay-rise of 10%.
"We are asking that the Government sit down and talk to us around the redundancy scheme.
"We are asking the Government stop the nonsense of job-cuts and talk to us about the fact that we need resources inside the public services.
"Clearly what we want us the Government to do is to pay-back the 2% on pensions that we've been over paying for the last years and the Government is now refusing to give us back".
"Our members worked through Covid"
"Our members worked through Covid and have cleared the backlog from the pandemic.
"Our thanks for that is for us to get a below inflation pay offer, and for our job, pension and redundancy scheme to be attacked at the same time.
"In our Union, there are at least 14,000 people that are using food banks. There are a huge amount of our members that are claiming Universal Credit as a result of the cost of living credit.
"That is true for examiners and everyone, we're all feeling the pinch. But the reality is, this cost of living is on top of the last two decades where we have got below inflation pay-rises."
What has the Government said about all this?
The Government says the union's demands are "unaffordable" in the current economic climate, and that a reasonable pay offer has been made.