The government used the media’s focus on MPs’ questioning of the Murdochs on Tuesday of last week to slip out an announcement that 20 job centres will close.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wants to close six offices in Scotland and 14 across England.
This comes at a time when there are 2.45 million people out of work and the numbers claiming out-of-work benefits is increasing.
The DWP says that more closures are likely—and it comes a few weeks after plans to close 17 benefit centres and five Jobcentre Plus call centres were announced.
The workers’ PCS union has pledged to fight to keep the offices open. There is a six week public consultation on the plans. Workers in local offices are also campaigning against the attacks.
Sarah Murdock, a PCS rep at the threatened Camberwell job centre in south London, said, “This is part of the Tories’ attacks on the welfare state. At my office we held a members’ meeting, where we voted to fight to defend the public services we provide.”
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