Staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) service centre within Lincoln’s City Hall may face redundancies, an assertion made by a union. Over 80 jobs are potentially at risk as the centre is expected to close, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union has revealed. This has resulted in its members choosing to strike from 1st December until 2nd January. The timing of the redundancy announcement was criticised by Ian Fisher, chair of the union branch. He described the situation as a ‘new low’ for the DWP, accusing the Department of showing a lack of empathy throughout the redundancy process. However, the DWP has responded by indicating that they are prioritising redeployment opportunities for the affected personnel and are also offering a voluntary redundancy scheme.
This article was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.bbc.com.
