CRB work-to-rule 'will delay jobseeker checks'

Industrial action at the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) could lead to a delay in vetting by sales recruitment personnel.

As part of a pay dispute, members of the Public and Commercial Services Union will be engaged in a work-to-rule protest which could double the length of time checking of job applicants could take.

The dispute arises from a proposed 0.5 per cent cost of living pay rise when the official inflation rate is at 4.8 per cent.

A work-to-rule strike involves refusing to work overtime and ensuring team benchmark targets are not exceeded.

General secretary for the union Mark Serwotka claims the action will highlight the damage the industrial action could create.

"The disruption from the work to rule in the CRB could be made worse if members back a programme of national pay strikes later this week," he warns.

According to head of public policy at the Recruitment and Employment Confederation Anne Fairweather, employers can request a background check for jobseekers through the CRB where a position being sourced by sales recruitment personnel involves contact with children or vulnerable adults.

Aaron Wallis are a Milton Keynes sales recruitment agency with a unique service offering that includes 12 months rebate. Psychometric profiling and online skills testing are also included within a fixed recruitment price.

Filed: 14-10-2008