Civil servants vow war over latest offer

The Public and Commercial Services union announced that its members had voted to join a national one-day strike on March 28.

Turnout paralleled last year's ballot at just over 32 per cent, but support for strikes stood at 72.1 percent, compared with 61.1 per cent last year.

All in all, over 90 per cent of balloted members rejected the government's offer, with general secretary Mark Serwotka calling it the union's broadest-ever mandate for industrial action.

The Con-Dem Cabinet would have to "seriously engage" with the union's core issues if they wanted a settlement, he said.

"The vote shows we remain committed to resisting this government's attacks on pensions, jobs and pay and to working with other unions to build further co-ordinated industrial action."

With around 290,000 members, the PCS is one of Britain's largest trade unions - but other major players have remained cagey.

The 300,000-strong National Union of Teachers and the 282,000-member NASUWT both said last week they would reject the latest deal.

But only the NUT's London region has confirmed it will join next Wednesday's strike.

It is understood the University and College Union executive will decide tomorrow whether the strike will be a national call-out or just its branches in the capital.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said her members did not enjoy taking strike action.

"Our chosen vocation is to change lives and transform life chances and we are unlikely militants."

But it was not fair that ordinary people suffer for a crisis they did not create, she said.

A Cabinet Office spokeswoman insisted the government had made its final offer.

Any strike would only be futile and disruptive, she said.

The "final agreement" tabled last week would see an increase in weekly pension contributions, despite the current two-year pay freeze, a rise in the retirement age from 66 to 68 and reduced payouts due to changes in the way pensions are calculated.

Concessions included a blanket exemption for staff retiring within the next 10 years and a one-year exemption from increased contributions for workers on less than £26,000 a year.