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The three-day strike will overlap with an interest rate decision
on Thursday and involves maintenance and security staff at the
323-year-old Bank.
About 15 staff members, some wearing face masks of Governor Mark
Carney, staged a picket outside the BoE's central London
headquarters on Tuesday. About 150 people work in the
departments affected by the stoppage.
The employees, who are part of the Unite trade union, said they
were protesting the "derisory" pay settlement that the bank had
imposed on staff without the union's agreement.
John McDonnell, the main opposition Labour Party's top economic
official, attended the protest and called for the BoE to set an
example to employers by raising their wages.
Unite said that many of those who were balloted about the strike
action earned less than 20,000 pounds ($26,400) a year.
Prime Minister Theresa May has come under increasing pressure
from lawmakers to end a below-inflation 1 percent cap on public
sector pay rises that has been in place since 2013 as part of
efforts to cut government spending.
Although it is operationally independent of the government, the
BoE has also limited pay rises to 1 percent for most staff, in
line with other public bodies.
The BoE said Unite had balloted around 2 percent of the BoE's
3,600-strong workforce and that it had plans in place to operate
effectively.
"The Bank has been in talks with Unite up to and including today
and remains ready to continue those talks at any time," a Bank
spokesperson said in a statement.
Unite said if the BoE fails to resolve the pay dispute, it would
consult its members at the Bank in departments other than just
maintenance and security on further action.
(Reporting by Andy Bruce and Fanny Potkin)
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