Management at Kirkby Job centre Plus don't seem to understand that staff are on strike both today and tomorrow. Like a previous occasion, the notice on the door informs us that "Due to exceptional circumstances, this office is closed" - Just like on the 16 Feb earlier this year.(evidence) But in April, the notice was more honest and informed us that the office was closed due to 'industrial action'. (check out the photo) Telling the public that 'unforeseen circumstances' are causing the closure of offices, is blatantly dishonest and the management are deliberately misinforming the public so as to perhaps try and isolate DWP staff , to turn the people signing on against them and the public at large. As reported with previous strikes, many people were unaware of them with the media choosing not to notify people, and of course, some people imagining that the staff at Kirkby have all phoned in sick or have gone on a day out to Southport or something. Some people signing on think staff at Kirkby Job centre must be earning enough to afford a house in Formby with the big wages they are on. Get your facts right before you cast the stones, most DWP staff earn a comparative pittance. They are trying to pay off the mortgage in a street by you, and are counting the pennies as much if not more than many workers.

Below, The Government must have printed up a batch of the misleading notice on the Job Centre telling us 'exceptional circumstances' closed the office. The two examples below date from Feb 2004 to today.

Don't Say the 'S-Word'

DWP Management cannot bring themselves to say the word STRIKE , or INDUSTRIAL ACTION , in case it catches on, as it surely will under the current anti working class government. Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union are protesting over a pay deal imposed last year. Some members have been in touch with Kirkby Times to inform us that wages for some DWP workers are as low as £10,300; this is almost half the wage of some people working in local organisations in Kirkby giving the unemployed advice. DWP Staff are also critical of a bonus scheme which gives extra payments for staff , a union spokesperson said this would "set staff against each other", classic divide and rule tactics by senior management, a management which cannot even print the word STRIKE on an A4 poster judging by today's sad and dishonest poster on Kirkby Job Centre. These are NOT unforeseen circumstances. It's the third strike with more to come.

Fact: 98% of DWP and Employment Service union members have no confidence in senior managers.

Below, here's a photo I took today, it could win the Turner Art Prize award, or something, thereby enabling me to forsake signing on. The photo reflects the inside of an empty Kirkby Job centre, and the opposite fire station. If I was a pretentious tw**, I would call it 'Reflections', but I'm not, so I won't.

Misleading the Public.

Although the Job Centre workers were on strike, there were still a few workers there, management perhaps? Other 'non union' workers? (There are outside agency staff also in Job Centres) The door was locked; I hung around to ask a few people what they thought about the situation, obviously, people are wary of saying anything when you're carrying a camera outside the dole. No-one was aware the strike was taking place, some people, as usual, had travelled a long distance and a few were worried payments may not arrive on time. The notice stated that payments would be sent out but if the people were informed that it was industrial action, it would at least give us the comfort that it was circumstances which we clearly understood. It would also save people from an unnecessary journey. A good deal of people receiving Giros know that a strike does not generally affect the payment, but 'exceptional circumstances' could have meant a computer crash or management held hostage by the workers, so the terminology used by management is , confusing to people waiting for there welfare entitlements. It is misleading.

Here's a notice Kirkby Times has designed for the next strike.

I Spartacus

Good luck to all local DWP staff who have to put up with a lot, as do the unemployed, as does every section of us working class in 2004. A Strike or Industrial Action is a form of rebellion, and everyone loves a rebel, especially rebels with a cause who are looking to make things better, not to drag the Country further into economic, moral, political and social decline. Every time someone or some group stands up to the bullying managements and meddling politicians, we feel a warm glow inside. Like the old tale and excellent movie of the slave Spartacus who inspired the fellow slaves to stand as one, thereby eventually destroying slavery. This Country is heading towards some serious discontent and civil unrest, and for the past 7 years, new labour have set in place a dangerous series of attacks on the very poorest in society, they are basically provoking the poor when you look at the massive rises the MP's and Councillors give each other. Blair tells us now that giving the pensioners a 70p rise in the pensions was 'a mistake'. Pure bulls**t. Did the Chancellor made a slip of his pen and miss a decimal point? Now we find Civil Servants are to be basically abolished, replaced with an army of agency workers, preferablelly non unionised and subservient on throwaway contracts. Over 100,000 jobs slashed, and decent workers thrown into the privatised free for all this Country is being pushed into. Like America, new labour plan to abolish the benefit system completely. It's already happening.

One day you may find yourself with the choice of standing with your fellow workers, or with the management. Remember, management always stick together, the bosses and the people who own our Country stick together. That's why they win, and we, the workers and working class, often lose. But as shown by the closed doors today of Kirkby Job Centre Plus, the third 2 day strike this year, people can and will stand up to bullying management. That's were it starts. That's were you get a taste for a bit of rebellion. This is only part of the great history of the working class being played out this very day.

Don't Help New Labour

Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union can ask there shop stewards and reps to stop there individual union subs from making new labour richer, a small percentage of the subs go to new labour and support from unions gives them credibility. Did you know that several unions have broke links with new labour? A majority of members can push this move if they opt out of permitting subs to be used for political motives such as funding new labour, which in turn is destroying jobs and privatising every public service. Why fund your own destruction?