HMRC tax offices closed today by PCS industrial action

In something of a reprieve for those of us struggling to file our income tax self assessments online, HMRC offices are closed today by strikes over claimed “privatisation” of call centre work.

 

The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) across the UK dislikes plans to trial the use of private firms at two centres  and so is picketing tax offices today.

 

In response, the taxman says it won’t issue the usual £100 penalty fines to anyone missing Tuesday's deadline for self-assessment returns. (Anyone filing their returns on 1 or 2 February will also not be fined.)

 

The dispute centres on the possible appointment of 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, starting with a year-long trial commencing next month (February).

 

The union says it is the thin edge of a major privatization wedge and come at a time when tens of thousands of civil service jobs are being cut.

 

"Our members in tax offices want to do a good job and provide the best possible advice and help to taxpayers, but there are fewer of them working in fewer offices as a result of misguided and damaging cuts,” says the body’s general secretary, Mark Serwotka.

 

"Instead of making even more cuts and throwing public money at private companies, ministers should be investing in their staff and tackling the billions in tax avoided and evaded by the super-rich."

 

If HMRC wants to trial new ways of working, HMRC should invest in its own staff, instead of pressing ahead with plans to cut another 10,000 jobs by 2015 - on top of the 30,000 that have gone from the department since 2005, says the PCS. 

 

An HMRC spokesman told the BBC: "HMRC is not privatising existing HMRC contact centre jobs but we are determined to improve the service we provide to our customers. 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.

 

"We are doing everything possible to maintain contact centre services to the public and will continue talking to the unions to address their concerns."

 

HMRC's acting director general for personal tax, Stephen Banyard, said: "We've always been very clear that we want the returns - not the penalties. For that reason, we don't want anyone who can't get through for help and advice on 31 January to be disadvantaged in any way."