We reached breaking point

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service unions, SCPS and unions, SCPS and CPSA, who work at the who work at the DHSS office at Harcourt office at Harcourt House, Oxford, have been on strike for 3 weeks. because of staffing levels at the office.

The amount üf work the office has to deal with has increased by 25% during 1982, mainly due to rising unemployment, and yet in the same period the number of staff employed in the office has actually been cut.

Those on strike have the support of claimants' organisations, welfare rights groups, social services workers; and prohation officers.

ONE of the strikers Socialist Organiser:

'After Operation Major, which highlighted the problems of an understaffed office, the staff in Oxford believed that the management would act positively towards rectifying the situation. As things stood, working the 37 hour week, we were unable to clear the work with just the present number of staff.

'Those working " 1n "callers' the interviewing section) and those on receptien were under the most pressure.

They have to deal with enquiries there and then and may have to wait hours for claimants' papers to be traced (this problem is Alan Stephens spoke to an Oxford DHSS striker increased by the Marston Road office being split into 3 different sites) which causes aggravation for those on either side of the glass.

There's an understanding in the office that someone should be on reception for no more than 3 months at a time, but many are on the 'frontline' for six months or more.

It's a vicious circle. If the benefit sections have a lot of work outstanding, the number of enquiries by phone or letter increase, therefore there's more work for the section to clear and therefore more work outstanding.

This then results; in an increase of •claimants calling in person at reception, therefore joining the forever swelling queue of new claimants.

The final blöw came in two parts. Firstly, management offered us only 2 temporary 'volunteers' from an equally hard pressed office in Banbury, and secondly they made an administrative decision at ing. 01 administrative decision at regional level that we nance, regional level that we should grant immediate decisic should grant immediate interviews on demand 1 1 Trill h instead of next available appointment.

This would have meant a return to the situation where the interviewing officers would have been interviewing up to 5 pm or later, 1½ hours after the office had been closed to the public.

We had reached the breaking point. It was time for action.

I'm prepared to stay out as long as necessary in order to keep pressüre on management to move constructively towards the staffing of the DHSS, to enable us to give the claimants the efficient service they're entitled to.

Fatal

As we've already been out 3 weeks, it would be absurd and possibly fatal to any other office who may take the same stand as us, if we were not to see this strike out to the end.

I hope all offices suffering the same or similar problems will support the lead given by the Birmingham offices and Oxford.

Although the union leadership are recommending a stay of action until the present disputes have been resolved, and understand-