Staff at the Civil Service Pension Scheme’s administrator are to take part in three more weeks of strike action over the transition of the scheme to Capita.
The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union confirmed today (27 October) that it planned a further escalation in its dispute with MyCSP, the outgoing administrator of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with members preparing to strike from 7 to 28 November.
The action extends industrial unrest that has already disrupted services for several months. It comes amid a long-running disagreement over MyCSP’s alleged refusal to allow PCS to represent employees ahead of their planned transfer to Capita under TUPE arrangements.
The announcement follows the publication last week of a report by the Public Accounts Committee, which stated that the Cabinet Office “has not shown that it is able to effectively manage the outsourced administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme”.
The committee said there was “a clear risk that Capita will not be ready to take over administration as planned” and said the Cabinet Office should consider administering the scheme in-house.
PCS members have taken 16 weeks of strike action so far, leading to a backlog of cases. A message on the Civil Service Pension Scheme’s website states that members “may experience significant wait times when calling our phone lines”.
Fran Heathcote, the union’s general secretary, said in a statement: “Our hard-hitting strike action at MyCSP continues to be well supported by both members and the general public. MyCSP’s poor efforts to engage in meaningful dialogue have only strengthened our members’ resolve to have a say in decisions that directly affect their livelihoods.”
The escalation follows earlier warnings from PCS that administration of the scheme could “collapse” due to missed implementation targets at Capita. In May, the union began balloting staff after claiming that MyCSP was refusing to recognise PCS as the representative trade union.
Capita has faced criticism from the National Audit Office over performance standards and transition readiness. The Cabinet Office has withheld £9.6m in payments after key milestones were missed, with full service delivery now expected by March 2026.
