CIVIL servants at Blandford Camp are joining nationwide strike action to protest against government plans to axe 100,000 jobs.

A one-day strike is planned for Friday by the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and union members wil be picketing the entrance to the camp and holding placards reading "Stop the Cuts."

Staff at the site, working in a range of skills from clerical to training and deliveries, are being urged by union chiefs to take part. An estimated 600 civil servants work there but not all are members of the PCS.

Tony Freeman, branch secretary of the PCS, said: "Jobs are under threat right across the MOD civil service - one in nine could go.

"I'm hoping the strike will draw attention to the fact that we are not going to lie down and let it pass. We are hoping to have an impact but there are enough staff at the camp to make sure things don't grind to a halt."

He added: "There has been an awful lot of uncertainty at Blandford Camp since the early '90s over the possibility of a public-private partnership and the Blandford Defence Training Review is adding to that concern."

As part of a nationwide review of training, the Ministry of Defence is looking for private organisations to take charge of training in the army, navy and airforce for the next 25 years.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said a robust plan had been put in place to ensure the security and safety of staff, visitors and the estate itself in the event of a guarding shortfall during the strike.

First published: November 4