Are civil servants right to threaten strikes over pay and a four-day week?
Most civil servants are on a 3.5% pay uplift for 2026-27 under the Cabinet Office remit published in May 2026, and there is no four-day week on full pay in the civil service. The PCS union plans a statutory ballot from 20 October to 1 December 2026 seeking a 10% pay rise, an £18 hourly minimum wage and progress towards a four-day week with no loss of pay. Strike action needs at least half of members to vote, with a majority in favour. The Cabinet Office says talks will continue, while ministers have previously rejected a four-day week.
10 Opinions
No, strikes are not a valid excuse to refuse to fulfill your function in society. That said, we should just give it to them. It's a 20% reduction in labour cost since it could be justly removed from their pay packet. We know from private business staff cuts, many of these people are not essential anyway. Edited
This is how it starts, and all of a sudden, we'll be back in the seventies with 25% pay rises and 27% inflation. Then we will all be on a 3 day week. This is why every child should learn history. Edited
Civil servants are meant to serve the people not the unions
Voted no because I think it would be too disruptive for those relying on the civil service. Although I agree completely with the reason for wanting to strike.
If you look only at compensation packages, they lag behind those in the private sector. That realistically reflects the difference in risk. But if you include the "gold-plated" index-linked pensions. The difference goes up in flames.
They’re just taking the p because there’s a week government that’ll probably fold rather than stand up to their paymasters
Civil servants, far from being civil and in no way being servants. Lazy parasites become audacious, lack of responsibilty and work from home rot them even further. 3/4 need to be sacked immediately, and apart them nobody will see the difference.
Wait what? They don't work a half week already? Could have sworn that they did.
Of course civil servants deserve fair, inflation-adjusted pay, but demanding full salary for an 80% work week breaks the basic compact between the state and the taxpayer. It will either reduce state output by 20% or forces taxpayers to fund thousands of extra hires to plug the gap...