DWP officials have indicated support for industrial action over pay concerns in a consultative ballot held by the PCS union.
In the ballot of DWP staff across the country who are members of PCS, four in five (80.5%) voted in support of industrial action on a turnout of 52.3%.
The ballot ran for one month, from 9 September until 10 October, with members asked if they “would be willing to take industrial action”, without specifying whether this would be strike action or action short of strike.
PCS dismissed DWP’s “unacceptable” pay deal for staff in August, asking the department to reopen pay talks on the grounds that it does not do enough to boost wages of staff at the lowest grades and “fails to address the serious issue of chronic low pay”.
The union said the department has refused to submit a business case to the Treasury to allow the department to increase its spending on pay above the delegated pay remit set in May.
The government has said all pay awards “must be funded from departmental budgets and there will be no additional funding available for pay settlements”.
PCS said members are “angry” about chronic low pay and wage compression in the department which will see staff in the lowest three grades all sitting at the national living wage from 1 April 2026 after years of underfunding.
The union said a survey of its members working in the DWP has revealed that many are unable to pay household bills, are turning to credit cards to get through the month and are struggling with debt. Almost 14% of respondents told the poll they are using foodbanks for extra support, while 20% of respondents said they claim in-work benefits, PCS said.
PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Year after year, the DWP has promised to do better. But our members who carry the welfare state have had enough of poverty pay.
"Forced to visit foodbanks and claim the same benefits they administer to help them survive, they should instead be paid a decent wage that reflects the important work they do.
"All they want is fair pay and increased recruitment to see their heaving backlogs reduced. Their ringing endorsement of strike action shows that there is a strong determination to fight back against poverty pay."
A DWP spokesperson said: "We are committed to ensuring competitive pay for all employees and following the 2025 pay award uplift all of our staff are paid above the National Living Wage.
“The current pay award reflects our ongoing efforts to balance various priorities and meet our staffing needs.”