AROUND 5,000 Swansea public sector workers look set to stage a two-day walk-out next week over changes to redundancy payments.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will take part in strike action on Monday and Tuesday.

Darren Williams, campaigns officer with the PCS, said: “There doesn’t seem to be any movement from the government, so we expect action to go ahead on Monday and Tuesday.

“There are 20,000 workers affected in Wales and about 5,000 in the Swansea area.”

The strikes will affect employees at Swansea’s DVLA offices, pension centre, Land Registry, Job Centre and benefits offices.

However, the industrial action looks likely to spread as coastguard operational staff, border agency officials and courts staff are also expected to join in.

Mr Williams said the walk-out, called after 63.4 per cent of those who voted backed strike action, was over changes to a pay deal for civil servants faced with compulsory redundancy.

Unions have been in talks with the Civil Service for 18 months over the planned shake-up to its compensation scheme.

The changes, which are due to be brought in on April 1, mean the maximum compulsory redundancy payment will now be two years’ pay for those earning £30,000 or more.

Mr Williams added: “Although we regret the necessity to take strike action, we feel this is the only option open to us.”

With around 3,000 union members on its staff, services from the DVLA look likely to be the worst affected. When the action was first announced last week, a spokesman for the agency said: “The DVLA will be fully prepared to mitigate the effects of any industrial action on its services.”

A spokesman for the coastguard said no front-line rescuers would be walking out next week.

Source [This is South Wales]