THE government was accused of waging “ideological war” on its own employees today as more than 130,000 civil servants struck in their long-running battle over pay, jobs and conditions.

Passport office workers, tax inspectors, benefits staff and thousands of others mounted pickets and held rallies.

The strike hit 132 government departments.

Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) leaders said the government’s record of bullying and ill-treatment of employees illustrated the Tories’ attitude towards civil servants.

At a PCS rally in Durham, where the Durham Miners’ Association supported striking civil servants, PCS national president Fran Heathcote said Tory ministers’ “abhorrent bullying culture” was indicative of Westminster’s broader attitude. The pay offer for civil servants is the lowest of all public-sector workers.

She said that in Department for Work and Pensions offices, one in five staff have to claim benefits to top up their wages and food banks had been opened in one in 14 offices.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “It’s impossible not to think this is an ideological war on civil servants.

“The evidence stacks up – ministers bullying their staff, giving our members the worst pay rise in the country, refusing to give them a back-dated pay claim or lump sum like they’ve given everyone else, failing even to negotiate with us – so how else do you explain it?

“How else do you explain the incessant attacks by government ministers on their own workforce, if it’s not a point of principle?

“We were lauded throughout the pandemic, including by the Prime Minister [Rishi Sunak] when he was chancellor, yet now we’re treated worse than anyone else, so it’s no wonder our members’ anger is growing.”

Strike action continues next week in passport offices, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Care Quality Commission.

PCS also announced a 15-day strike at HM Revenue and Customs.

The stoppage is the latest wave of action to hit the government, with more strikes planned across the public sector including nurses who will strike on Monday, and more action announced by teachers and rail workers.