The Branch has issued the following press release locally:Civil Service National Pay Dispute The PCS Calls for Action.
PCS Industrial Action on 10th November 2008, followed by an Overtime Ban Throughout the Civil Service.
Background
to the dispute During the 1990’s Civil Service Pay Bargaining and a Civil Service Pay Structure was stolen from the members.
This has resulted in over 200 separate bargaining units and people being paid less than others for doing the same job.
The ending of a Civil Service Pay structure has in many areas resulted in the blending of Pay Progression and Pay rise elements to Inflate, or double sell, Pay offers.
Pay Rise and Pay Progression elements.
In the Civil Service there are two key elements to any pay offer to consider. First is the Pay Rise element. This is how much the pay scale increases by; it is sometimes also called the cost of living rise.
It is distinct from Pay Progression, which is the time that it takes to move from scale Minima to scale Maxima. This used to be as little as 4 to 8 years in the 1980’s. Pay Progression used to be a separate issue from Pay Rise and was something that members received annually. This was deliberately blended in the early 1990’s to try and confuse staff into believing that they were getting a higher pay increase than they were in actuality.
The Government agrees to Pay Talks but nothing is ever concluded
After years of talks about pay coherence the PCS National Executive Committee want to step up our campaigning on pay to apply more pressure on the government to take action to bring an end to the current chaos and unfairness of Civil Service pay.
The Ballot
The ballot on the Industrial Action took place between 24th September 2008 and 17th October 2008.
The Ballot Results
The results of the ballot are as follows:
Those in favour of strike action = 54% Those against = 46% Those in favour of action short of a strike = 80% Those against = 20%
OUR DEMANDS ARE REASONABLE
The following are the list of our demands:
- All members in the civil service should be paid the same "going rate" for the job (i.e. the higher pay rates now existing in some civil service Departments),
- The principle of "equal pay for work of equal value" applies across all parts of the civil service and related organisations, for all grades/pay bands, by raising the lower pay rates up to the same as the higher ones,
- Speedy pay progression to maximum rates for all i.e. no more than 5 years,
- Separately funded pay progression and pay rise elements, so giving the Civil Service parity with all other parts of the public sector.
- There must be protection of pay values in "higher paying" organisations and improved pay progression for all members in all areas.
The PCS National Executive Committee met on 23rd October 2008 and discussed to next stages of the campaign. They have decided to call the following programme of action as the Government have failed to live up to their commitments (see below).
The programme of action includes:
- Industrial Action across the Civil Service on 10th November 2008; followed by an overtime ban throughout the civil service.
- The NEC also agreed outline plans for sustained and targeted industrial action that would stretch into next year in the different sectors of the civil service.
- The NEC will meet after the one day strike on 10 November to discuss dates for the sectoral action should there be no breakthrough with the government.
Tony Blair, Prime Minister, 5th May 2004, “The objective of this work (in partnership with Unions) is to improve the coherence of pay and conditions across the Civil Service within an overarching delegated framework”
John Hutton, Cabinet Office Minister, 9th May 2005, “I agree with you that there is a need to make concrete progress in 2005 towards a more coherent pay system for all Civil Servants”
Unfortunately the Government has not to date honoured its commitments.
Quotes from the PCS Fylde Central Benefits and Services Branch The Secretary of the Fylde Central Benefits and Services Branch Duncan Griffiths said “we have little doubt that the members, who voted for strike action, and overwhelmingly for action short of a strike (e.g. an overtime ban) in the ballot will now back up the campaign to defend their pay and restore Civil Service pay bargaining.”
The Branch Organiser of the SPVA (Ministry of Defence) Branch Rachel Wallace-Dand said “the National Executive Committee met on 23rd October 2008 and discussed what the next stages will be.
The programme of action includes Industrial Action across the Civil Service on 10th November 2008; followed by an overtime ban throughout the civil service. The NEC also agreed outline plans for sustained and targeted industrial action that would stretch into next year in the different sectors of the civil service.
The NEC will meet after the one day strike on 10 November to discuss dates for the sectoral action should there be no breakthrough with the Government. Even though it is very late in the day there is still time for the Government to honour its commitments (please see quotes above from the Government). However it is now looking like Industrial action is inevitable, as members have little option than to stand up and say enough is enough we have seen through the smokescreen from the employer that has been in place since National Pay bargaining was snatched from us, and realise that it is totally unjustified that people should be working doing the same or similar jobs and being paid thousands of pounds less.
I have little doubt that the members will overwhelmingly support any call for Industrial action given the results of the ballot. No one takes Industrial action lightly, it is the last resort when all else has failed, but now is the time for the members to vote with their feet and demonstrate to the Government that they are not prepared to sit idly by and watch their pay be eroded by inflation. Civil Servants are not the cause of inflation we are the victims of inflation.”
For further details contact:
Duncan Griffiths Branch Secretary Room 7233 Norcross Telephone: (01253) 332881
Background details
- The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is the largest trade union in the Civil Service with circa 300,000 members.
- The Fylde Central Benefits and Services Branch has over 3,300 members mainly in the Department for Work and Pensions in the Fylde (Norcross, Peel Park and Warbreck).
- SPVA Branch represents hundreds of members in the MOD at Norcross and other sites.
