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There are two reasons for the strike: they have been hit by a double whammy. The NCI an­nounced at the end of 2009 that there would be a nil pay award for the year 2009-10. The NCIs are cashing in on the recession.

“There are also wholesale changes to the pension scheme for everybody. They will have to increase their contribution by 1.6 per cent, and will in many cases receive a pension that is less than they would have expected it to be. For instance, in the value of a pension for someone in service for 34 years, the lump sum will be £15,000 less, and the pension will be £1000 less a year.”

Mr March said that the staff did not want to damage the NCI, however. “They know that if they work to rule or want to ban over­time, it would not get very far and it would lose the goodwill of the organisa­tion. We want to make a protest and have a picket line outside the buildings, and bring it to the attention of the wider Christian community as well.”