Ofgem workers begin final day of strike action
Members of the PCS union based in London and Glasgow first walked out last week.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Workers at energy regulator Ofgem have started their final day of a five-day long strike as part of the long-running civil service dispute over jobs, pay, pensions and conditions.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union based in London and Glasgow walked out last week.
The union said many of the workers are struggling to pay their electricity bills.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Ofgem staff are trusted to administer vital government programmes, so it’s both shocking and ironic that many of them are struggling to pay their electricity bills.
“They love their jobs because they want to help energy customers get a fair deal from energy companies, but falling pay has seen one in four workers leaving because they can no longer afford to work here.
“The Government says there is no money for civil servants at the same time as spending £32 million on consultants at Ofgem since the start of the energy crisis.
“It’s time for ministers to have meaningful talks with us – as they have with other unions – to put an end to this dispute.”
PCS members in the Passport Office as well as driving test examiners and test centre admin staff are also on strike on Monday.