HMRC Staff Balloted On Deadline Day Walk-Out

by Robert Lee, Tax-News.com, London

07 January 2008

More than 70,000 members of the Professional and Commercial Services Union (PCS) who work for the UK's HM Revenue and Customs are being balloted regarding a one-day strike that could take place on January 31 - ensuring maximum disruption as millions of self-assessment taxpayers rush to beat that day's submission deadline.

The threat of strike action comes in protest at plans by the government to streamline the department in a bid to cut expenditure. These plans involve the closure of up to 250 offices and the loss of 25,000 jobs by 2011.

Balloting of PCS members was due to begin on Monday 7th January and will close on 23rd January, with the result expected shortly thereafter. If the strike goes ahead, it is expected to disrupt the processing of tax returns on what is the department's busiest day. Some 10 million self-assessment tax returns are due to be submitted to HMRC by January 31, but about 20% of these are submitted at the last minute.

The PCS believes that such action is necessary not only to highlight the plight of its members, but also to draw attention to the deteriorating service provided to the taxpayer as a result of the cutbacks.

"With office closures and 13,000 job cuts to date, the department is already running on empty resulting in deteriorating services. It is lunacy for HMRC to plough ahead with closing over 250 offices and to cut a further 12,500 jobs by 2011," commented PCS General Secretary, Mark Serwotka.

"As HMRC's own staff survey indicates morale is dangerously low. These are some of the most loyal staff, responsible for collecting taxes to build schools and hospitals, securing our borders and overseeing the payment of tax credits. HMRC cannot deliver a quality service in the face of continued arbitrary cuts and the government and the department need to recognise that HMRC needs to be properly resourced and staffed if public confidence is to be restored," he added.

The PCS argues that the scale of the job cuts is partly to blame for the highly-publicised loss of computer disks containing information on 25 million child benefit claimants by the department.

However, HMRC has defended the programme, claiming that the recent merger of the Inland Revenue and Customs to create HMRC has left it over-staffed.

"The creation of HMRC, where Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue were integrated, means the new organisation now has more space than it needs," announced former Acting Chairman Paul Gray just before the commencement of the cutback programme.

An HMRC spokesman revealed to the Guardian newspaper that the department has urged the union to call off the ballot, allowing talks with union members to take place.

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