1,000 strike over jobs cull

More than 1,000 employees from Ashdown House, Heron House and Castle Job Centre took part in a mass walk out yesterday.

Some 1,600 Hastings jobs are on the line following moves from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Under their modernisation programme, 500 offices and 30,000 jobs will be scrapped, with processing centres being transferred country-wide.

Eddie Fleming, PCS union representative, said from the picket line on Thursday:

"There's a bit of a carnival atmosphere here, but the issues are serious ones - public services and pay.

"We have been put in a position where we have no choice but to take industrial action.

"We are just ordinary, hard working people trying to do the best we can on really low poverty pay.

"We got a below inflation pay rise - some of the workers are having to claim the same benefits they are dishing out."

The strike was due to continue today.

A skeleton staff has been manning the centres, allowing for a basic service.