On the picket line this Tuesday (Pic: Guy Smallman)
Workers who look after the financial affairs of vulnerable people struck on Tuesday against plans to relocate their jobs.
The PCS union members are fighting against plans to move 177 of their jobs from London to Birmingham.
Union members at the Office of the Public Guardian voted by 78 percent for strikes in a ballot with a 47 percent turnout.
Bosses have told workers they will offer no financial support to help them make the move—meaning workers will effectively be made compulsorily redundant.
The relocation will cost around £22 million and it is likely that service users’ fees will increase.
The majority of users suffer from Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and brain damage, and are vulnerable to exploitation and fraud.
Mark Serwotka, the PCS general secretary, said, “Our members are proud of the work they do, and do not want to see this public service undermined or the people they work with face increased costs.”