Officials who work at The Pensions Regulator are set to strike in a dispute over pay.
PCS, which is the civil service's biggest union, said its members at the government agency will strike for two weeks.
The union's 150-plus Brighton-based members at the regulator will take action from September 5-18 “after being offered just a 3% pay rise while civil servants in other government departments receive at least 4.5%”, PCS said.
The government's pay remit guidance for 2023-24 asked departments to pay an average 4.5% increase for most officials below senior civil service level, plus an extra 0.5% targeted for the lowest paid and a £1,500 lump-sum payment for the previous year. In comparison, The Pensions Regulator has offered staff a 3% increase in the pay bill.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Our hard-working members at The Pensions Regulator demand to know why they’re deemed worth less than their colleagues elsewhere.
“They’re furious at finding out the government is treating them as the poor relations of the civil service.
“If ministers want to end what will be disruptive strike action, they can treat these workers fairly and with respect, offering them at least the same pay rise everyone else needs to help them through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.”
In response, a spokesperson for The Pensions Regulator said: “We value our staff highly and hope to achieve a successful resolution with the PCS union as soon as possible, within our current performance-related pay structure that is fair and equitable.”
The Pensions Regulator is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions, which regulates work-based pension schemes in the UK. Its headquarters are in Brighton.