WORKERS in JobCentres and benefits offices across Worcestershire and Herefordshire were today due to carry out a second day of strike action in a row with the Department of Work and Pensions over job cuts.

The call to strike came about after the breakdown of talks between the Public and Commercial Services union and officials at the DWP aimed at resolving a dispute over a cut of 30,000 posts nationally by 2008.

These cuts were announced about 18 months ago and, so far, around 15,000 jobs have gone.

As a result of these cuts, Paul Deveen, the union's West Midlands regional secretary, said: "To meet the targets that we have in terms of turn-around time of seeing people, we are having to employ people on temporary contracts and essentially work over-time."

He added that the new computer system was also not working properly and not providing the savings that it should.

He said: "We regret the inconvenience to the public but this is not about pay. It's about providing a service for the public."

There are nine job centres in Worcestershire and Herefordshire - Worcester, Evesham, Hereford, Kidderminster, Ledbury, Leominster, Malvern, Redditch and Ross-on-Wye as well as four social security offices and three flexible service delivery sites, which provide limited services and some advice.

The union has around 400 members in the two counties.