STAFF working for a pension administrator in Liverpool continued their fight for union recognition, walking out for the 18th week today.

About 90 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union are striking at MyCSP, administrators of the 1.7 million-member Civil Service pension scheme.

The staff are expected to stay out for another three weeks, until the contract is handed over to a new provider, Capita. 

But PCS members say MyCSP had refused to allow the union to represent employees ahead of the transfer.

“Everybody knows that union workplaces are better workplaces — they’re healthier, they’re happier,” said PCS industrial officer Paula Wood.

“We want our members’ experience to be great when they go into work, and we want other members who are dialling in to use this service to have a good experience.”

Lead union representative Gary Wheeler said: “We are losing skilled staff and they’re getting replaced by people who are brand new to pension administration.

“That causes then delays and slow processes and inaccuracies, and that’s not the service that we want be providing.”

MyCSP was contacted for comment.