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Enthusiastic support for call centres strike
18 April
Hundreds of call centre
workers supported the strike by PCS (civil service union) in the
Department of Work and Pensions today over inhuman working conditions
and a bad service to benefit claimants. The five call centres in Wales
at Bangor, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Newport and Pembroke Dock were all
heavily affected by a massive stay away by PCS members.
In Newport the picket line
was bathed in sunshine as workers turned back from the picket line and
refused to go into work. A group of managers completely failed to
intimidate members into breaking the strike and were heavily
outnumbered by pickets and by great support from the rest of the trade
union movement. There was a number of discussions about how to bring
about co-ordinated action on June 30th when action over
pensions is possible.
At Pembroke Dock a
breakfast barbecue replaced the traditional pickets� brazier as PCS
members were supported by trade unionists and supporters from Swansea,
Llanelli and Milford Haven.
In Bridgend there were over
20 pickets as members enthusiastically opposed what the DWP is trying
to do to the service to claimants.
Pickets scoffed at the DWP
statement that �we have to ensure that our service is available when
our customers, who include some of the most vulnerable people in the
country, need us�.
Katrine Williams DWP Group
Vice President replied "The problem is that management obsessed with
targets. We should be able to use our judgment about how long a call
takes.
"We want to spend the right
amount of time with the person on the phone. It's very difficult doing
that - and we can potentially be disciplined if we spend too long on
the phone with somebody.
"Most people would be
pleased if we could actually answer and deal with the query on the
phone the first time they ring up.
"It's a very complicated
benefits system and navigating that is very difficult and what
somebody doesn't want to have happen to them is be fobbed off on the
phone and be rung back some number of hours later by another member of
staff that's also very hard pressed.
"Management are absolutely
adamant that the call-handling time targets and the number of calls we
take is more important than how we deal with people on the phone." |
