Benefits staff took to the streets in Oxford to protest over lack of protection against attacks from the public.
They are angry at proposals to remove safety screens in the new open-plan Jobcentre offices, and say it is only a matter of time before someone is hurt.
A 48-hour strike across the UK was called for yesterday and today by 60,000 members of the the Public and Commercial Services Union after talks failed to resolve the dispute.
It follows a similar walk-out last December after the union said management refused to discuss detailed proposals designed to protect its members from assaults by the public.
Tim Sparrowhawk, chairman of the Oxfordshire branch of the PCSU, said he expected between 160 and 170 of his members to join the protest outside nine employment and benefits offices across the county.
He cited the case of a claimant who "ran amok" in the Abingdon Jobcentre on December 20 last year. "Fortunately no staff were hurt on that occasion, but it's inevitable that someone will be," he said.
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