More than 300 workers employed by outsourced Fujitsu Services UK at Telford and offices across the country will take strike action on January 30 and 31 after being offered a pay rise of 1.5%.

The Fujitsu workers are aggrieved that HMRC direct hires working at the Parkside Court office in Telford and employed on Civil Service contracts have been given a 5% pay rise as part of the Labour government’s settlement of annual pay rounds across the public sector.

The Public & Commercial Services (PCS) union said that Fujitsu Services’ workers were taking action as ‘their civil service colleagues employed directly by HMRC got 5% this year for doing similar jobs’.

The two days of strike action will take place on the two days running up to the midnight deadline for self-assessment tax returns on Friday 31 January at 23:59.

Members voted by 87% for strike action and by 95.6% for action short of a strike on a turnout of 79.5%.

HMRC confirmed that the Fujitsu workers are not employed by the tax authority which means their pay negotiations are direct with Fujitsu.

An HMRC spokesperson said: 'We have robust plans in place to ensure we continue delivering critical services for our customers during any industrial action.'

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: ‘There is no excuse for workers employed by Fujitsu being offered less than those employed directly by HMRC.

‘If the government was serious about its pre-election pledge to bring in the ‘biggest wave of insourcing in a generation’ now is the chance to end the scandal of a two-tier workforce.

‘It’s not too late for ministers to step in, resolve the pay issue and prevent strike action likely to play havoc with people’s tax returns.’

Strikes are also planned to go ahead over eight days in Benton Park View and Newcastle.