Hundreds of West Midland tax workers walk out over jobs row
Hundreds of tax workers across the West Midlands were out on strike today, as part of a long-running dispute over job losses and office closures.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) are taking part in walkouts this week, threatening disruption to the work of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Workers at major offices at Brierley Hill, Birch Street in Wolverhampton and at City Centre House in Birmingham were taking part as well as staff at walk-in centres at Tettenhall Road, Wolverhampton; Brierley Hill's Waterfront, Greyfriars in Stafford; Midland Road, Walsall, and Union Street, Birmingham, which are lined up for closure under government cuts.
The action is timed to disrupt the deadline for tax credit renewals and also a key date for self assessment payments.
As a result, HMRC moved yesterday to extend the deadline for just over half a million people who still need to renew their tax credit claims.
The cut-off date for those 550,000 people has been pushed back from today until next Wednesday, August 6.
The Revenue body said that it had taken the decision because people faced 'long delays' trying to get through to its renewal phone line due to the industrial action. The phones traditionally get busier as the cut-off for renewals looms.
The union is campaigning against the closure of 281 enquiry centres and the loss of 2,000 jobs.
The PCS claimed that years of job cuts had now led to backlogs and delays, as well as the use of private debt collectors.
Strikes were held across Wales and north west England yesterday, Scotland and the Midlands today and London, the south east, south west and east of England, Yorkshire and Humberside and Northern Ireland tomorrow.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "HMRC plays an essential role in our economy and our society, collecting the taxes that fund the other public services we all rely on. But it is being systematically undermined by unnecessary and politically-motivated cuts.
"These strikes demonstrate we are serious about stopping these damaging cuts and making a positive case for proper investment in this crucial department."
A HMRC spokesperson said: "We are very disappointed by the timing of the decision by PCS to call a strike to coincide with the tax credits renewals deadline.
"We will do everything we can to minimise the impact on tax credits claimants, and we urge them to renew online at www.gov.uk/renewtaxcredits, to avoid the long delays that the strike will cause on the phone."
Tax credits are benefits that give extra money to people responsible for children, disabled workers and some other workers on lower incomes.
