Fighting for Lincoln: Why this office closure matters
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced plans to close the Lincoln service and support centre at city hall in May. This decision has put 128 skilled jobs at risk, with limited redeployment options due to poor transport links and the nearest alternative office being over 40 miles away. For many members, this is not just a workplace issue - it’s a community one.
Members believe the closure will devastate families and increase stress for workers already facing economic uncertainty Removing these jobs will strip all but a Jobcentre presence in Lincolnshire, reducing vital jobs that provide vital opportunities for those balancing care responsibilities or living with disabilities.
There is a national pattern developing and the fight to save Lincoln is not an isolated struggle. Just weeks after Lincoln members voted overwhelmingly for strike action, the DWP announced plans to close three more service and support centres in Dover, Warrington, and St Helens by September, with the likely possibility of more to come.
The industrial action between 4 and 17 November was well supported, new members joined up and the picket lines were 20 plus even on the worst of the days. The key takeaway is that when we were faced with needing to defend jobs, the service we provide, and our futures Lincoln stood together. The feeling of togetherness and empowerment was tangible and something many say they have experienced for the first time in a long time working for the department.
It is DWP’s lack of empathy when dealing with these colleagues that created this unity, it is DWP and the government’s lack of a clear and cohesive rationale for the decision that has created the anger and we took that forward to further industrial action starting 1 December and into a new year in the hope that DWP would address its failings and reconsider this disastrous programme of office closures. Although DWP did not reverse its decision, our reps have continued to focus relentlessly on securing the best possible outcomes and protections for every affected member.