Call centre staff find management unwilling to listen

The unwillingness of management to implement a series of agreed changes, that will improve their treatment, means that call centre workers in the DWP could be reluctantly forced to take further strike action.

In January PCS members at seven telephony and process implementation project [TPIP] sites were on strike for two days in a dispute aimed at extending flexible working and ending a target-obsessed culture. When this failed to move management, staff at 37 call centres walked out in April, picketing taking place for the first time ever at every location.

All of which meant that on July 1^{st -} the day after workers had joined thousands of fellow trade unionists on strike in defence of public services - management were prepared to sit down and agree to over 40 changes in working practices demanded by PCS reps.

Now however with management dragging their feet over their implementation, and refusing to offer flexi-time, staff are discussing more action.