UK civil servants’ strike on Nov. 10

By OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

London

Oct. 24: Britain faces a tough winter of discontent as civil servants, who voted in favour of industrial action over pay policy, will go on one-day nationwide strike on November 10.

The national executive committee of the public and commercial services union also agreed on outline plans for sustained and targeted industrial action that would stretch into 2009 in the different sectors of the civil service. The union also urged the Labour government to start negotiations and review its public sector pay cap of two per cent to avoid damaging industrial action.

"If there is no movement from the government, then industrial action will begin with one-day UK civil service and public sector strike on November 10, hitting passports, jobcentres, tax credits, immigration and customs, as well as driving licences, Coast Guards, driving tests and museums," the union, which represents 270,000 workers in the UK, warned.

The one-day strike will be followed by an overtime ban throughout the civil service, the union added. The national executive committee will meet after the one-day strike on November 10 to discuss dates for the sectoral action should there be no breakthrough with the government.