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Universal Credit call handlers will vote on whether to hold a major strike after being treated with "contempt".

Up to 295 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) agents in Wolverhampton and Walsall are poised to walk out for two days in a row over heavy workloads.

The PCS union says the system is crippled by "severe under investment, staff shortages and criticism from claimants on how they are treated".

Chiefs are demanding 5,000 new staff, full contracts for fixed-term workers, an end to "management by statistics" and a limit on the number of phone calls each case manager has to handle.

It comes after top Tories heaped praise on rank-and-file staff in their defence of the six-in-one social security shake-up.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said the strike ballot - which runs to February 25 - must be a "wake-up call" to ministers.

(Image: PA)

He added: "Ministers have repeatedly insisted Universal Credit is working well for workers and claimants when the opposite is in fact the case.

“Our members have not taken the decision to ballot lightly.

"But the responsibility for the breakdown in industrial relations lies squarely with the government, who want to run this service into the ground while treating staff with contempt.”

If union members at the two "service centres" agree, two days of industrial action would take place on March 11-12.

It comes four years since 1,300 Universal Credit staff staged a 48-hour walkout in protest at the "oppressive" workplace culture.

They complained of staff shortages, poor training and at least £40m 'squandered' on IT that wasn't used.

(Image: Getty Images)

DWP chiefs insisted their priority was to give UC staff the necessary resources to carry out their job, including manageable workloads.

However, contingency plans have been reviewed recently to "ensure services can be maintained" if there is a strike.

An official insisted there would be no disruption to claimants.

A DWP spokeswoman said: "We are disappointed that PCS has chosen to take this course of action and planned meetings with the union are ongoing.

"Our top priority remains assessing and making payments to customers.

"We are comfortable with current staffing levels and will monitor and reallocate resource where necessary."

This article originally said up to 700 union members could walk out due to incorrect information provided by the PCS. This has been revised to the correct figure of 295.