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| Second strike by civil servants | Second strike by civil servants |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Tens of thousands of civil servants are staging a second national strike over pay, job cuts and privatisation. | Tens of thousands of civil servants are staging a second national strike over pay, job cuts and privatisation. |
| Courts, tax offices, job centres and driving tests will all be hit, two days before local elections. | Courts, tax offices, job centres and driving tests will all be hit, two days before local elections. |
| The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said the 24-hour walkout will affect up to 200 government departments and agencies. | The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said the 24-hour walkout will affect up to 200 government departments and agencies. |
| The Cabinet Office insisted there was "absolutely no need to strike" and said it valued civil servants highly. | The Cabinet Office insisted there was "absolutely no need to strike" and said it valued civil servants highly. |
| The first one-day strike was held on 31 January to coincide with the deadline for returning tax self assessment forms. | The first one-day strike was held on 31 January to coincide with the deadline for returning tax self assessment forms. |
| The union is angry at government plans to cut 100,000 civil service jobs, privatise services and keep pay rises below the rate of inflation. | The union is angry at government plans to cut 100,000 civil service jobs, privatise services and keep pay rises below the rate of inflation. |
| 'Dogmatic hostility' | 'Dogmatic hostility' |
| Ministers had refused to negotiate with the PCS unless they called off the strike - a decision union general secretary Mark Serwotka called "belligerent". | |
| "The heart of our public services is being ripped out as services suffer in the race to slash jobs," he said. | "The heart of our public services is being ripped out as services suffer in the race to slash jobs," he said. |
| "At the same time, the government is using its own workforce, a quarter of whom earn less than £15,400, as an anti-inflationary tool by insisting on capping pay at 2% while inflation creeps up to 5%. | "At the same time, the government is using its own workforce, a quarter of whom earn less than £15,400, as an anti-inflationary tool by insisting on capping pay at 2% while inflation creeps up to 5%. |
| The heart of our public services is being ripped out Mark SerwotkaPublic and Commercial Services union | |
| "Added to which you have a dogmatic hostility to publicly run services and the misguided view that the private sector is always better than the public." | "Added to which you have a dogmatic hostility to publicly run services and the misguided view that the private sector is always better than the public." |
| Union officials say they will tour picket lines on a "battle bus" and insist the government must agree to talks to avoid further walk-outs. | Union officials say they will tour picket lines on a "battle bus" and insist the government must agree to talks to avoid further walk-outs. |
| A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said civil servants could not be "immune" to changes needed to achieve better value for money and adapt to new technology. | A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said civil servants could not be "immune" to changes needed to achieve better value for money and adapt to new technology. |
| But he insisted: "As the government has said repeatedly, there is absolutely no need to strike. | But he insisted: "As the government has said repeatedly, there is absolutely no need to strike. |
| "We value civil servants highly. They do a great job for the public." | "We value civil servants highly. They do a great job for the public." |