THOUSANDS of civil servants across York and North Yorkshire were out on strike today to protest about planned job cuts.

People working in Jobcentres, benefit offices, courts, ports, tax offices and prisons were taking part in the largest national civil service strike in a decade over the Government's plans to slash more than 100,000 civil and public service jobs.

Up to 10,000 jobs are under threat in Yorkshire and Humber, and cuts have already begun with 300 due to be lost through the closure of York Pensions Centre. The one-day strike organised by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will see picket lines, rallies and events across the region today as members take a stand against "savage" government cuts which they claim will decimate services delivered to people in this region.

Sheila Banks, regional chairman of the PCS, said: "Today thousands of our members are taking a stand against arbitrary cuts which will decimate services that we all take for granted and rely on. Cuts on this scale will do nothing to improve service delivery and mean people will have to travel further to access services. Decent public services need civil servants to deliver them.

"Members are angry to be faced with such damaging cuts, anger which will only be compounded if plans to raise the pension age get the green light.

"The public will be inconvenienced today, but it will be nothing like the inconvenience of having to wait longer, seeing your local benefit or tax office closed or not being able to access vital services as and when you need them."

Updated: 10:35 Friday, November 05, 2004