Stepping up the pressure: national action called for 24 March

Keep the pressure up

Support the national overtime ban

All out the 24th of March

The action on  the 8th and 9th of March was a great success, solidly supported by members across the UK, and with extensive media coverage. Reports are also available.

Over 200,000 PCS members were on strike.

We now need to keep the pressure up on the employer to come to a negotiated settlement.

Success on 8th and 9th of March

The action on the 8th and 9th of March included:

• Crown and county court sittings cancelled across England and Wales.
• Jobcentres offering little or no service to the public.
• Solid support among Met Police civilian staff working, including 999 operators, community support officers and picket lines at Houses of Parliament for the first time in a generation.
• An estimated 4,000 driving tests cancelled.
• Severe problems calling tax and benefit call centres with some switching to recorded announcements.
• Glasgow passport office closed, appointments cancelled in London and 80,000 passports delayed.
• Severe disruption at Gatwick as 70% of UK Border Agency staff took part in the strike action, and delays at other ports of entry.
• Well attended strike rallies were held across the UK. The London march and rally was supported by several hundred members and won the support of a number of general secretaries of other unions and the TUC.

Media coverage in the run up and of the strike itself was unprecedented across TV, radio, web and print. It was covered on news bulletins throughout the day on all national TV and radio stations and appearances by the general secretary included the Today programme, 5 Live, BBC Breakfast TV, GMTV, Sky news, Channel 4 news. UK-wide broadcast coverage was supported by excellent coverage over the two days in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the regions, where the media visited picket lines and interviewed reps and full time officials.

The message has gone out loud and clear that we will not accept changes to the CSCS that would mean:

• Everyone’s job under greater threat than ever before
• For many people with longer service, the loss of a third of their entitlements, possibly tens of thousands of pounds
• People currently over 50 losing access to an enhanced pension other than on compulsory redundancy
• People reaching 50 in the future losing access to an enhanced pension
• Voluntary severance packages becoming less generous and will be at employer discretion
• People with reserved rights (pre-1987) losing more than half of their entitlements
• People facing privatisation transferring with far less protection – therefore making privatisation more likely

National overtime ban

A national overtime ban is now in effect. The ban will run until 6 April in the first instance. It will be kept under review by the national executive committee. Guidance for reps and members’ leaflets on the overtime ban have been distributed to branches.

These, and all other materials, are available on the PCS website.

If we are to defend members’ entitlements under the CSCS, and defend our jobs, it is very important we do not allow our strike action to be undermined by the employer getting people to work overtime to clear backlogs created by the action.

Branches should now discuss implementation of the ban, seeking advice from Group offices where necessary.

Further action – all out 24 March

We have had successful action. We now need to keep the momentum up. The national executive has decided to call a national strike on Friday 19 March.

A members mailing will be issued to ballot addresses shortly. Meetings with members and other face to face contact using the material on the website should be carried out as a priority to build support for the strike.

Regional meetings of reps are being organised to discuss building the action. These meetings will take place over the next few days. More details will be issued by your regional office.

This is the key period to take such action, in the run up to a general election and before the 1 April when the amendments to the scheme come into effect. The union has made suggestions to the employer that would enable the government to make the savings it says it must make at the same time as protecting existing members’ entitlements. An agreement is within reach but we must step up the pressure.

Legal action

We continue to pursue legal action. The government are attempting to delay this in the courts. Industrial action will help to keep the pressure on.

Lobbying

We have written again to Tessa Jowell, Minister for the Civil Service, stating that we should meet to discuss a negotiated settlement. The government has attempted to downplay the action and disgracefully has tried to reject the prospect of an agreement to settle this dispute. But we know that political pressure on the government has grown, with 162 MPs signing an Early Day Motion. More action can have an effect.

John McDonnell MP, the Chair of the PCS Parliamentary Group, has urged us to continue to lobby MPs and ask them to contact the Minister to urge her to come to an agreement and avoid more damaging action.

Branches are urged to plan lobbies of MPs surgeries where they take place on 24 March and to encourage members to write again to their MPs.

Branches must now:

• Discuss implementation of the national overtime ban.
• Attend reps’ regional briefings: further details will be issued soon.
• Use the campaign materials and talk to members about the action on the 24 March, holding meetings wherever possible.
• Plan to lobby local MPs on the 24 March wherever surgeries are taking place, and urge members to write again to MPs. Detail are on the PCS website.

Thank you for your hard work so far. Industrial action is only called as a last resort and we know that it is not easy for members. But this is the most important dispute we have had for many years. Now is the key time to build more pressure on the government to reach an agreement to settle this dispute.

Mark Serwotka, General Secretary

Janice Godrich, President

Stonewall’s latest amendment to the Equality Bill

The following has been provided by Stonewall:

This is just to let you know that very late on 2nd March Stonewall’s latest amendment to the Equality Bill – to permit civil partnerships to be held in religious premises – was passed in the House of Lords by 95 votes to 21. For those denominations involved – including Quakers and the Liberal Jews – this is a very important step forward and, as we argued throughout, an important matter of religious freedom.


This vote is also hugely important to those lesbian and gay people of faith (and, as Lady Neuberger pointed out, to their Jewish mothers too!) who wish to celebrate their civil partnerships in their own place of worship. Lord Alli tabled the amendment for us and peers across parties supported the measure, including Norman Fowler, former chairman of the Conservative Party.

Sadly, the government continued to oppose the amendment although offered its backbenchers a free vote after the Conservative Party had offered the same. Ministers have known for some months that we intended to table this measure and we regret that the government didn't stand up to the bullying it had faced from the Church of England and Roman Catholic Church on this issue. We'll now work closely with ministers to ensure that we secure implementation of this further step towards equality.

We couldn’t campaign in the way we do without the support of so many thousands of people across Britain. Thank you again for all your help.

Best wishes,
Stonewall

Fair Trade Fortnight: 22 February - 7 March

PCS HQ has supplied the following information:

Fair Trade Fortnight: 22 February - 7 March
This annual event in the awareness raising and positive action calendar has come round again, with the theme this year of "swopping" your "unfair" trade products for fair ones, by lobbying your local retailer. For more information visit the Fair Trade Foundation website here 

Taxing International Financial Transfers to Eradicate Poverty In Developing Countries - The Robin Hood Tax
This idea has been going the rounds as "the Tobin Tax" for some time, but recently received a shot in the arm through its appealing "rebranding" as the Robin Hood Tax. This is a particularly appropriate initiative for PCS to get behind given the number of its members working on tax issues, and the union's ongoing demands for 'tax justice'. To find out more visit the Robin Hood Tax website here.

On Tuesday 10 March there is also a talk about the Robin Hood Tax at the Royal Society of Arts in London; there are currently still seats available for this, but the event will also be viewable as a live webstream. For more information visit the RSA website here

PCS Development Awareness Raising Work
It is very much a case of "watch this space" at the moment, as the union awaits the outcome of its Development Awareness Fund bid to the Department for International Development. A decision is expected before the end of March. The project will focus on how to eradicate poverty and achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals through international tax justice, social protection and Decent Work.

TUC Playfair 2012
On Saturday 27 February the Olympic torch was handed on from this year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver to London, and the Playfair 2012 coalition, coordinated by the TUC, launched its union-wide campaign for an ethical London Games. Funding permitting (see above), the campaign will be a central feature of the Decent Work element of PCS' development awareness work in the coming years. For more information about the new campaign, see the TUC website .

PCS Support Benefits Palestinian Workers
In 2008 PCS supported a TUC Aid Appeal for Palestine, Zimbabwe and Swaziland, and last year ran a members' appeal in its 'International Insights' magazine. The funds destined for Palestine have been used by the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) to run workshops for Palestinian workers to make them aware of their rights. To see what this means at an individual level, see Nedaa AL Zaher's personal testimony on the TUC website here.

CSCS Rallies - North West

Several North West Rallies have been organised to coincide with the first day of the strike over the proposed cuts to the CSCS.

The one local to the Branch is being held in Preston. Details are below:

Preston
Fifty Fifth Division Club

119, Church Street
Preston PR1 3BT

Refreshments available from 12.00 noon, hope to see you there.

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Please also see below for details of other North West rallies. Start times slightly variable but no later than 12.30.

Liverpool
Premier Inn
Vernon Street
Liverpool L2 2AY

Refreshments available from 11.30am

CHAIR: Paula Brown, PCS National Executive Committee
Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary
Frank Hont, Unison Regional Secretary (Invited)


Manchester
Friends Meeting House
6 Mount Street
Manchester M2 5NS

Refreshments available from 11.30am

CHAIR: Pete Grubb, PCS Salford Revenue Branch
Sue Bond, PCS Vice-President
Kevin Brown, FBU Regional Secretary

PCS hits back at Cabinet Office

PCS hit back today over Cabinet Office claims that changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) are fair for staff and will bring the civil service into line with the rest of the public sector.

Far from being fair, the union argued that loyal public servants faced cuts of up to a third in redundancy pay as the government sought to tear up their contractual rights in front of their eyes.

Countering claims that the low paid won’t be affected, the union warned that they faced being stripped of their enhanced pension rights when they reach 50 and that the cuts were about making it easier for the next government to sack people on the cheap.

On turnout, the union pointed to the fact the government had denied MPs a vote on the changes and instead relied on an arcane parliamentary procedure to avoid any debate, discussion or vote. The union also pointed out that the government was elected in 2005 by just 22% of the electorate.

Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: "The Cabinet Office has described these changes as bringing the civil service into line with the rest of the public sector. Yet according to the government’s own figures, civil servants earn nearly £5,000 less per year than the public sector average.

"If the government were serious about bringing the civil service into line with the rest of the public sector then it would address the issue of chronic low pay in the civil service.

"In reality these cuts are an attack on low paid civil servants to make it easier for the next government to make job cuts on the cheap. It has nothing to do with fairness or parity, and instead is a crude cost-cutting exercise.

"The government and the Cabinet Office will be able to see the real strength of feeling among PCS members on 8 and 9 March, when we expect strong support for strike action. Over 35,000 members attended meetings on this issue and 18,000 lobbied the Cabinet Office during the consultation.

"The government and the Cabinet Office can avoid the disruption of industrial action by negotiating an agreement that protects existing members’ rights.”