WORKERS in Newport joined picket lines today, Wednesday, to demand better pay on the same day the chancellor announced his budget.

Jeremy Hunt has pledged economic growth, but striking civil servants told the Argus their pay packets had suffered real-terms cuts for more than a decade.

Staff from the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), next to Tredegar Park, attracted beeps of support from passing drivers as they waved banners demanding "fair pay" and claiming they had been "taken for granted".

Ele Wade, who chairs the Prospect union’s local branch, said civil servants’ pay had been "unfairly suppressed" since 2010.

She told the Argus workers had been prepared to "tolerate to an extent" pay freezes until inflation rocketed last year and the cost-of-living soared, meaning there was "no slack left in the system".

South Wales Argus: Ele Wade, national president and branch chair of the Prospect union, outside the Intellectual Property Office in Newport.Ele Wade, national president and branch chair of the Prospect union, outside the Intellectual Property Office in Newport. (Image: Max Parker (@maxparkerphoto))

Civil servants at the IPO were faced with pay that was "26 per cent lower in real-terms" than it had been 13 years ago, she added.

With around 1,800 people working at the office, the agency is a "big employer for the area" and the effect of the pay situation meant local people were facing stark choices about their futures, she said.

"People are deferring starting families and buying houses because they simply can’t afford to," Ms Wade said. "Younger people are struggling."

South Wales Argus: Workers on strike outside the Intellectual Property Office in Newport.Workers on strike outside the Intellectual Property Office in Newport. (Image: Max Parker (@maxparkerphoto))

The union is now "calling for the [UK] Government to come back to the table with a fair offer", she added, explaining that unions wanted ministers to be open "about how much money is available" rather than leaving it to individual agencies like the IPO to negotiate.

And unless the situation improves, Ms Wade said there was a risk of a recruitment crisis in the civil service if pay couldn’t compete with the private sector.

"The government talks about wanting innovation and science, but that simply can’t happen if we aren’t employing enough people," she said.

South Wales Argus: Workers on strike outside the Intellectual Property Office in Newport.Workers on strike outside the Intellectual Property Office in Newport. (Image: Max Parker (@maxparkerphoto))

A UK Government spokesperson indicated negotiations would continue.

In a statement to the Argus, they said: "Industrial action should always be a last resort, and discussions continue at official level with civil service unions.

"We urge them to recognise what is reasonable and affordable, as the whole country faces these cost of living challenges."

But after thousands of workers across the UK went on strike on Wednesday, the unions have called for immediate action.

South Wales Argus: Workers on strike outside the Intellectual Property Office in Newport.Workers on strike outside the Intellectual Property Office in Newport. (Image: Max Parker (@maxparkerphoto))

Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said: "Bills are rocketing and pay is falling ever further behind the private sector leaving our members with no option but to take industrial action.

"We will continue our campaign until the [UK] Government comes up with a meaningful offer. If it doesn’t do so soon, we may be left with no civil service to protect."