Lincoln DWP Staff to Strike Over Centre Closure

Civil servants in Lincoln are preparing to go on strike for a fortnight in response to the proposed closure of the Department for Work and Pensions Service and Support Centre at Lincoln City Hall. The strike is due to occur from the 4th to the 17th of November as the centre is projected to close in May, posing a risk to 80 local employment opportunities. Fran Heathcote, the Union Leader of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), condemned the decision, arguing that committed workers are being unfairly dismissed. A recent vote displayed that 86% of PCS members partaking voted in support of the strike. The union has described the closure as an ‘insensitive decision’ that endangers local services, underlining that the closest alternate centre is 40 miles away. Bradley Wall, secretary of Lincoln and District Trades Council, accentuated the community’s resilience and honour, asserting that the closure would be a betrayal to both the staff and the wider Lincolnshire community. The DWP has countered by promising that the closure will not affect the Lincoln Jobcentre and they will attempt to reassign the impacted staff within government departments.

This article was originally reported by www.bbc.com and has been adapted by The Lincoln Post.