Thousands of tax office workers to stage 24-hour strike

Thousands of tax office workers will stage a 24-hour strike today in a row over privatisation, leading to a delay in the deadline for filing tax returns.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) across the UK will mount picket lines in protest at plans to trial the use of private firms at two centres.

HM Revenue and Customs has decided not to issue penalty fines to anyone missing today's deadline for self-assessment returns. Anyone filing their returns on February 1 or 2 will also not be fined.

The industrial action is in opposition to the appointment of two private companies, Sitel and Teleperformance, to run call-handling trials in HMRC tax credit contact centres in Lillyhall in Cumbria and Bathgate in Scotland.

The year-long trials are due to start next month and the union is warning they risk paving the way for privatisation in the department, and come at a time when tens of thousands of civil service jobs are being cut.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "Our members in tax offices want to do a good job and provide the best possible advice and help to taxpayers, but there are fewer of them working in fewer offices as a result of misguided and damaging cuts.

"Instead of making even more cuts and throwing public money at private companies, ministers should be investing in their staff and tackling the billions in tax avoided and evaded by the super-rich."

An HMRC spokesman said: "HMRC is not privatising existing HMRC contact centre jobs but we are determined to improve the service we provide to our customers. This means considering a variety of options including drawing on the knowledge and experience of external contact centre operators. Industrial action is unwarranted and unnecessary.

"We are doing everything possible to maintain contact centre services to the public and will continue talking to the unions to address their concerns."

HMRC's acting director general for personal tax, Stephen Banyard, said: "We've always been very clear that we want the returns - not the penalties. For that reason, we don't want anyone who can't get through for help and advice on 31 January to be disadvantaged in any way."

Pickets prevented tax staff from going to work in Newcastle today.

The 12 men stood outside the HM Revenue and Customs office on the Quorum Business Park in Longbenton to protest against private sector workers being employed to do public sector jobs.

Branch secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union Malcolm Smith, of Sunderland, said workers were angry.

He said: "Very few people have entered the office today.

"From around 7am there would normally be around 250 staff in there; this morning there's around 20 - mostly management.

"People are very angry about this.

"This is part of a national dispute against the Government's plans to trial private industries to do civil servants' work.

"It's costing about £4 million to trial this when we are being told to cut costs and cut jobs.

"It is sticking in people's craw because we're seeing our friends being dismissed and that the Government's plans are perfectly clear - to cut, cut, cut.

"We need to stop the cuts and invest in public services.

"Private companies are here to make a profit. We are not; we're here to provide a service to the public."

The picket line was formed at 7am and would remain until 2pm, Mr Smith said.

In Leicester, a number of workers gathered outside the HMRC office in the city centre.

George Smith, from the processing department, said the worry was that staff employed in the trial would be paid less and have fewer rights, and may result in job cuts for existing permanent staff.

He added: "The Government has a lot of very committed, experienced civil servants that they're intent on throwing on the scrap heap.

"We want the Government to come back to the negotiating table. We're always willing and want to talk."

PA