Home Office & JobCentre Plus Strikes could affect Tier 2 Visa Approvals

Recently members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) voted in favour of industrial action with union members in both the Department of Work and Pensions and the Home Office backing action in two separate disputes. 70% of members at the DWP voted for strike action while 82% of Home Office members voted in action just short of a strike.

The General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), Mark Serwotka, said that “In JobCentre Plus, our members do not want unnecessary and unrealistic targets, they just want to provide a good quality service and to help callers effectively and efficiently. In the Home Office, it is clear senior managers are gearing up to make massive job cuts and we will not stand by and allow this to happen.”

Last year following the Governments Spending Review the Home Office saw its budget slashed by 23%, which means that by 2014/15 the public body will have to work off £8.5 Billion per year. The UK Border Agency, an organisation within the Home Office, has seen its budget cut by around 20%. The cuts are expected to mean that around 20,000 Police and Immigration Officers will lose their jobs over the coming years.

Of the 20,000 active posts currently within the UK Border Agency more than 5,000 are expected to go, with officials insisting that the impact on border controls can be kept to a minimum by making efficiency savings and improving productivity. In response to the Spending Review the UK Border Agency has said that ‘while meeting our international obligations, we will drive down the cost of asylum support and make greater use of technology, focusing efforts on the greatest risks and improving productivity.’ Theresa May, the Home Secretary, also said that \”my absolute priority is to ensure that the UK retains its capabilities to protect the public.\”

Commonwealth Contractors

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