The Charity Commission may be facing strike action after the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) called a ballot on changes to the civil service compensation scheme.

Approximately 60 per cent of the Commission’s staff are members of the union, which is unhappy with “unilateral” changes to the redundancy terms of civil and public servants.

Opening tomorrow, the ballot will run until 25 February. Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “We had hoped we could avoid a strike ballot, but the government and the Cabinet Office’s insistence on ploughing ahead, combined with their unwillingness to find an agreement has left hardworking people feeling let down and betrayed.

“The government is looking to save £500m through these changes, based on the number of jobs it has axed over the last three years. With over 96,000 jobs gone in that period, there is a fear that the government could cut another 100,000 jobs over the next three years on the cheap."

A spokeswoman for the Commission said: “Commission staff have been occasionally involved in industrial action in the past, and we have contingency plans to manage reduced staffing that may occur as a result of strike action and minimise the disruption to our customers.”