From Belfast to Bogota and Baghdad our British Council workers will be on strike

A letter from Mark Serwotka:
By Letters
Published 22nd Mar 2022, 19:34 BST
Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

PCS members at the British Council are this week taking strike action over plans to make more than 200 workers redundant.

The union also has concerns over restructuring and outsourcing at the organisation, which promotes the English language and British culture overseas.

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Members in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Manchester will take action on March 24 and 25.

They will be joined by members in workplaces across the globe, including in Bogota and Baghdad.

The British Council states its role is to ‘build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts, culture, education and the English language’.

Now is the time to strengthen international ties, not cut them.

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British Council staff ran the successful EU student exchange programme Erasmus, but when it was replaced by the Turing Scheme, the government gave the contract to Capita, resulting in more job losses.

The government has refused to share the business case for the redundancies.

Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary

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Related topics:BelfastBen Lowry