STRIKING Greenock Sheriff Court staff told yesterday how hard-up members of their union have had to turn to foodbanks for help as the cost of living crisis continues to bite.

Criminal business ground to a halt as sheriff clerks and court officers walked out at Nelson Street on Budget Day as part of a long-running dispute with the UK Government over pay.

The PCS (Public and Commercial Service) union is campaigning for a 10 per cent wage rise — broadly in line with inflation, which last month stood at 10.1 per cent.

Greenock union rep John Borris told the Telegraph: "We had austerity for ten years when we got nothing and now it's time to fight back.

"The way that things are going with the cost of living — buying groceries — it really is hard.

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"We've got members going to foodbanks — think about that, civil servants who have been long in the job going to foodbanks."

Mr Borris, who was on the picket line with colleague Stuart Cook yesterday morning, added: "When you look at where inflation is, and what we're asking for, it's not anything that is going to make the country worse off.

"We really do have to fight back.

"It's been said that if we get this pay rise it's going to put inflation up, but what we're looking for is less than the rate of inflation just now."

Greenock court staff were among around 133,000 PCS members throughout the UK who withdrew their labour yesterday.

As well as a 10 per cent hike in pay, the union is also calling for better pensions, job security and no cuts to redundancy terms.

The government says the demands would cost an 'unaffordable £2.4bn'.

Civil servants have been offered a 2-3 per cent increase.