Corsham Civil Servants Take Part in National 48-hour Strike

By R_Ferrier | Monday, March 08, 2010, 10:37

This morning a number of Corsham-based civil servants were on strike outside the barracks where they work but they are not alone: around 270,000 Civil servants across the UK are on strike over cuts to redundancy terms.

A view of Basil Hill Barracks where the construction work is taking place.

“The people that are on strike lose a day’s pay which is a lot of money to some people,” said an ex-civil servant who works at Basil Hill Barracks in Corsham, one of the many barracks within the town where civil servants are striking.

The dispute is over a civil service compensation scheme which, due to changes, will see a third of entitlement lost due to cuts.

The strike was organised by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS). There hasn’t been a more prominent display of industrial unrest in the civil servant since 1987. Further action is planned before the general election.

The move wasn’t popular with the Military who work within the Corsham area.

The workers outside of Basil Hill Barracks this sunny but chilly morning, are but a few of the civil servants across the country taking part in the walkout. Over 20 rallies in towns and cities are taking place with a “battle bus” to take to the streets of London tomorrow morning.

Were you one of the people striking or do you have a view to share about the walkout? What do you think?