UNION representatives have highlighted the “irony” of staff at conciliation service Acas staging strike action over a disagreement with their employer.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) walked out from offices across the country yesterday to hold a 24-hour strike over “unmanageable” workloads and other concerns.

The union argues staff have also raised concerns about the “downgrading” of work in the conciliation service and talks have been ongoing since last July.

Mark Turner, GMB Sussex branch secretary, said: “It is pretty drastic if the main conciliation service are in a dispute with their employer – the Government.

“It is extremely worrying.

“If this is the way the Government are treating their staff there then it doesn’t particularly bode well for employees in the rest of the employment sector across the country.

“It is an irony that you have the mediators taking action against their employer.

“There is a fundamental breakdown of industrial relations.

“In the public sector we are showing this more and more.

“It is going right to the heart of Government.”

Members also walked out from the head office in London yesterday.

PCS members are planning to take two more days of strike action on June 6 and 7 if the dispute is not resolved by then.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Despite months of talks, our conciliator members at Acas feel they have no choice but to take strike action.

“It really has come to something when people who run a conciliation service can’t negotiate effectively with their own workforce.

“Hopefully this action will show Acas management that PCS members are serious about the real issues that need to be resolved.”

The union said the reason for staff facing the pressures of increased workloads is due to the scrapping of fees to take cases to employment tribunals.

An Acas spokesman said: “We are disappointed that some of our staff have decided to take strike action.

“We have had regular discussions with PCS, we are committed to seeking a resolution and continue to work with our trade unions.”

Acas said it is recruiting staff to deal with the increased demand for its conciliation service and denies that it is downgrading its work.