Over 130,000 civil and public servants to walk out as all-out strike date is announced

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) has announced that its members, which include 130,000 civil and public sector workers, will continue its strike action in April. The union said industrial action will continue to increase the pressure on ministers in the ongoing row over pay and conditions.

Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “Ministers need to take notice that we are escalating our action and they need to resolve the dispute by putting money on the table. We know our strikes have already caused serious disruption.

“The new strikes and another national day of action will pile the pressure on a government that refuses to listen.”

The strike, which will take place on April 28, was agreed by the PCS’s executive committee on Monday (March 27) afternoon. The decision means strikes across different parts of the civil service will continue from now until the end of April.

The new date comes after PCS members from 123 government departments joined picket lines on Budget Day earlier in March. Civil servants also joined strikes in February this year for what would be the biggest day of industrial action in a decade, with nearly half a million taking to the streets.