STAFF at job centres in York, Selby and Malton are set to go on strike next week.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) are taking action over what they say is the management's refusal to address their concerns over the safety of staff working at new Jobcentre Plus offices.
The action follows violent attacks on staff in other areas, including one where a security guard at an office in Bradford was attacked with a hammer.
The union members are part of 5,000 staff across Yorkshire and Humberside who are joining the national strike on Monday and Tuesday. Members at Jobcentre Plus, Benefits Agency and Employment Service offices will be joining the strike.
Eddie Spence, PCS senior national officer for Yorkshire and Humberside, said: "Levels of incidents in Benefits Agency offices doubled in 2000, the last year for which we have management's official figures. In Yorkshire and Humberside, members continue to face violence and the threat of violence on a regular basis."
As part of the national strike, picket lines will be in place at offices in York, Selby, Malton, Harrogate, Scarborough and Goole.
Updated: 09:24 Saturday, January 26, 2002
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