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The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) — which represents around 325,000 members in government departments, agencies, public bodies, and private companies — has called on the Government to reconsider the proposed job cuts.
The PCS's entreaty followed the prime minister's announcement of a major review of data security, sparked by the loss of millions of child benefit records by the Revenue.
While welcoming the inquiry, the PCS — the UK's largest civil service trade union — raised concerns about the impact on future security of the commitment to cut 12,500 jobs in the HMRC by 2011, in addition to the 13,000 already axed since March 2005.
They also object to the use of a private courier service, rather than civil servants, to handle intra-departmental communications.
The PCS condemned the cuts, saying that with additional security checks expected for people claiming and making enquiries about child benefit, there need to be extra resources in place at department, rather than fewer.
The union's general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said: 'The Government's so-called efficiency programme of cutbacks, office closures and outsourcing is an accident waiting to happen.
'It is vital that the review… considers the effect of these cuts and halts them while the review is ongoing.'
