BRIGHTON-BASED staff at the Pensions Regulator are set to strike for two weeks in a pay dispute, their union announced yesterday.

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said more than 1,000 workers on the south coast will down tools between September 5 and 18.

They have been offered a massively below-inflation 3 per cent wage boost while civil servants in other government departments have received at least 4.5 per cent, according to the union.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Our hard-working members demand to know why they’re deemed worth less than their colleagues elsewhere.

“They’re furious at finding out the government is treating them as the poor relations of the Civil Service.

“If ministers want to end what will be disruptive strike action, they can treat these workers fairly and with respect, offering them at least the same pay rise everyone else needs to help them through the cost-of-living crisis.”

National strikes by PCS, which saw 100,000 civil servants walk out for 24 hours in February, forced ministers to concede the improved 4.5 per cent deal and a one-off payment earlier this year.