Since entering Parliament I have been an active member of the PCS Union All Party Parliamentary Group. It has been a tough time for public sector workers, with thousands of job cuts in recent years. I attended a meeting this afternoon for an update on the current situation, and there are real concerns over job cuts at the British Council, particularly in Manchester. A meeting is being arranged for me to talk with local union officials to see how I can help to protect local jobs.

Meanwhile the Government seems hell bent on pushing ahead with changes to the Civil Service compensation scheme, which will see a lots of lot of moderately paid staff lose out if they are made redundant. In my view it is simply wrong to take away an entitlement that has been in place for years, particularly when staff have often worked for lower wages than other people in similar jobs.

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