CIVIL servants at 171 government departments will begin voting in a national ballot for strikes over pay, pensions and job security today.

About 160,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) will decide in the coming weeks whether to launch a fresh campaign of industrial action.

Their long-running disputes over the past 18 months have already resulted in a series of strikes in government departments.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “We told ministers we expected at least inflation-proof pay rises this year, but so far they have refused to commit to even that.

“Our members showed last year they were prepared to take sustained strike action — the government can expect more of the same this year if they don’t meet our demands and treat our hard-working members with the respect they deserve.”

Members in the Scottish devolved sector are not included in the ballot after reaching a two-year settlement on pay and jobs.