HMRC staff plan tax deadline day walkout

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) call centre staff are planning to strike on tax return deadline day over privatisation fears.

Over 20,000 staff, members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, are to stage a 30 minute walk out on the 31 January, the last day tax returns are due to be filed and one of HMRC’s busiest and most important days.

The move follows a decision to trial two private companies, Sitel and Teleperformance, to run call handling trials in HMRC tax credit contact centres in Lillyhall in Cumbria and Bathgate in Scotland.

The year-long trials are due to start in early February.

PCS said the trials could pave the way for widespread privatisation in HMRC at a time when tens of thousands of civil service jobs are being cut.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka (pictured) said: ‘When jobs in HMRC and the civil service are being cut in their tens of thousands, it is entirely wrong to start handing contracts to private companies.

‘Instead of privatising ever more of our public services, the government should be investing in its own staff to ensure they are equipped and trained to provide the essential services they are proud to deliver.’

HMRC has denied there is any privatisation of call centre jobs planned.

A spokesman said: ‘HMRC is not privatising existing HMRC contact centre jobs but we are determined to improve the service we provide to our customers and this means considering a variety of options including drawing on the knowledge and experience of external contact centre operators. Industrial action is unwarranted and unnecessary.’