Members of the biggest civil service union are being balloted on whether to take industrial action against proposed staff cuts.

The Public and Commercial Services union's 300,000 members are holding the ballot, which began on Monday, in response to government plans to axe over 100,000 jobs as part of a Whitehall efficiency drive.

Guy Fawkes day, November 5, has been earmarked as a possible strike date if approval is given to hold the biggest public sector stoppage in over a decade.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said civil servants are to be the victim of political games that will also hit the public.

"Members are angry to be faced with such damaging and arbitrary cuts, anger which will only be compounded if plans to rise the pension age get the green light," he said.

"Cuts on this massive scale will damage services we all rely on from your tax credit to your car tax and from your child benefit to your pension credit.

"When all around are seeking to cut with little thought of the damaging impact it will have and as the axe begins to fall, we as a union are taking a stand.

"A stand in which we are confident the thousands of our hard-working members will make in voting for a one day strike highlighting the work that they do touches people's everyday lives."