Market testing to continue despite Civil Service protests

THE GOVERNMENT today will defy Civil Service unions threatening to disrupt ports, benefit payments and employment offices, by announcing its intention to go ahead with market testing more white-collar Civil Service jobs, writes Colin Brown.

The civil servants' union, the CPSA, said last night an estimated 300,000 staff were expected to take part in a 24-hour strike tomorrow which would close down benefit offices and Jobcentres across the country. Inland Revenue offices would be closed around midday and ports could be disrupted by a stoppage of all Customs officials.

The action is being staged in protest at the use of market testing, measuring more Civil Service jobs against bids by the private sector. But William Waldegrave, the Cabinet minister responsible for the service, will announce the Government's intention to go ahead with more market testing of jobs. In a statement to the Commons, he will tell MPs he plans to extend market testing to legal services, accountancy, and information technology in public services. He briefed the Prime Minister yesterday on the progress on market testing thousands of Whitehall tasks.

In a separate move, a study by the efficiency office is believed to have rejected fixed- term contracts for those in the three most senior Civil Service grades and for advertising all vacancies in top Civil Service posts.

The findings are certain to deepen the anger of the unions, who believe there is one law for the rank and file and another for the Whitehall mandarins.