Save BIS Sheffield – support April 9 Sheffield March for Jobs (from PCS website)
22 March 2016
At the end of January the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS)announced plans to close its Sheffield site by January 2018, losing 250 jobs. Taken together with other closures including, HM Revenue and Customs Sheffield site, the overall loss of jobs to the city is 500.
Sheffield has already been hit by job cuts in the steel industry and at the city council.
The government obsession with cutting the civil service is extremely damaging with cuts, closures and redundancies all hitting the local economy as well as our members’ livelihoods. There is an emerging pattern of taking jobs away from locations which previously had a considerable civil service presence, giving the lie to chancellor George Osborne’s claims to be creating a Northern Powerhouse.
BIS has key responsibilities for delivering this so-called powerhouse. Cutting yet more civil service jobs in Sheffield calls into question the government’s commitment to Sheffield and the North generally. BIS is a major employer, providing good quality public sector jobs in an area hit hard by the recent closure of manufacturing industries such as steel.
How can the government possibly claim to be committed to a Northern Powerhouse when it’s looking to take BIS policy jobs down south to Whitehall?
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka will be the key speaker at this major march and rally, organised by PCS and Sheffield TUC to save jobs in Sheffield. Assemble at noon, Devonshire Green, Sheffield S3 7SG and march to city hall for rally and speakers.
Other confirmed speakers include leader of Sheffield City Council councillor Julie Dore and TUC regional secretary Bill Adams.
All PCS members and their families are encouraged to attend this important rally.
Don’t allow this government to abandon Sheffield and send jobs back to Whitehall.
Sign the petition against plans to close the BIS Sheffield office, already signed by thousands of people.
