MINISTERS have been urged to intervene as more government departments face strikes by outsourced service workers being treated as “second-class citizens.”

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union announced a further month of strike action against contractor OCS at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in East Kilbride today.

It will cover weekdays from January 22 to February 28.

PCS will also ballot members employed by ISS for strike action at the Department for Education, the Cabinet Office and the Canary Wharf Hub.

The union says security officers, receptionists, cleaners, caterers and porters are being forced to accept the Real Living Wage or London Living Wage, receive no company sick pay and receive just the statutory minimum in annual leave.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Ministers must intervene in this dispute to ensure our members receive the pay, terms and conditions they deserve because they, the contractors and the [government] have roles to play in delivering a settlement to these disputes.”

The companies were contacted for comment.