JOB centre and benefits staff in Greenock have won their fight for thousands of pounds of unpaid overtime holiday money after a long-running stand-off with bosses.

The UK Government department has finally paid staff cash due to the Department for Work & Pensions staff going back two years, and pledged to honour a further four years of backdated pay.

It comes after they enlisted the support of local MP Ronnie Cowan, who twice raised the issue of the missing pay in parliament.

It is understood the missing wages amounted to thousands of pounds in some cases.

As well as tabling questions in parliament on the wrangle last October and in January, SNP MP Mr Cowan wrote several times to DWP bosses to demand answers over the missing cash.

Greenock Telegraph:

One worker, who did not wish to be named, said: "We thank Ronnie Cowan MP and his staff for taking this up and fighting on our behalf.

"Two years of back payments have been made and the DWP has accepted that this goes further back too."

Another worker added: "What Ronnie did was to raise this issue in parliament in London so there was no hiding place. The last employer you would think would be treating its workers this way would be the DWP."

In a letter sent to the Inverclyde MP, Under Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Viscount Younger of Leckie said: "Working on behalf of your constituents, you have previously raised queries and concerns with DWP, pertaining to the Department’s Holiday Pay in respect of regular overtime and other payments.

"I would like to confirm that we are paying eligible employees two years of holiday pay backpay.

"I would like to thank you for raising this with us in the past."

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Mr Cowan said it was only right that workers who had volunteered to do overtime as part of the scheme should get the wages due to them.

He added: "The initial two-year backdated payments will be substantial in some cases and very welcome in this cost-of-living crisis.

"But this has taken far too long.

"The DWP seems also to have accepted that it is liable for further payments going back to 2017 and has told the staff this.

"This argument has been won, but it will not be a total victory until all cash due to all staff has been paid.

"I have raised the issue in parliament and written to the DWP, and there still seems to be no explanation as to why this problem happened.

"You have to wonder what this has done for staff morale.

"I will be keeping in contact with the workers affected by this, and watching closely to make sure the DWP resolves all outstanding payments soon, as staff have waited too long already."