Staff at Welsh tax offices will join a nationwide union protest on Monday (31 July) against the imposition of another 1% pay award by HM Revenue and Customs. The protest has been called by their union, PCS, which is campaigning for the UK government to lift its public sector pay cap.
Workers at the Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham offices – the latter two scheduled to close – will gather outside their workplaces at lunchtime this Monday, their monthly payday. Local politicians, who have backed the union’s campaign, have been invited to come along and show their support.
PCS Wales Secretary, Shavanah Taj, said:
“HMRC staff collect the taxes that fund vital public services but, like workers across the public sector, they have seen their pay frozen or capped for years.
“The department is set to impose a 1% pay increase – the maximum allowed under the UK government’s cap – on Monday and our members are holding a day of protest to show what another year of the pay cap will mean to them.
“For too many hard-working public employees their earnings disappear on bills and essentials almost as soon as they’ve paid. We are campaigning to change government policy and ensure that those who protect the nation’s finances get some protection for their own living standards.”
