Government surveyors vote to strike

Surveyors and senior managers at the government’s Valuation Office Agency (VOA) are taking industrial action against the 2007 1.25% pay rise.

85% of Prospect union’s VOA members, who provide property taxation services to the government, voted in favour of opposing the pay award.

From 27 February onwards, the members will establish a ban on overtime, staff only working conditioned hours, ban all out-of-hours coverage and will encourage proper lunch-breaks and regular screen breaks.

In December last year, members had already held a vote against the pay increase of 1.25%, which is below the Treasury’s 2% cap.

Prospect national secretary, Geraldine O’Connell, said: “Our members at VOA work to ensure that property tax systems across the country are implemented in a fair and impartial manner but the treatment they have received is far from fair. The chief executive has outlined his vision to turn the agency into a world-class service by 2010 but he is expecting staff to do this on third-class pay."

“Morale was already at rock bottom with staff struggling to maintain the service and meet government efficiency targets while watching their pay fall further behind not only private sector comparators but other public sector colleagues.”