Strike Ballot Agreed by DWP GEC.
The PCS DWP Group Executive Committee has voted unanimously today to ballot for strike action and an overtime ban to oppose unnecessary and avoidable compulsory redundancies and to secure a major increase in staffing levels in order to deliver services. It is madness for DWP to make anyone redundant, it the department responsible for getting people back into work and it should not be throwing its own staff onto benefits. Let's work hard to win the ballot. Management must be made to withdraw the redundancies and enter serious negotiations on recruiting much needed staff.
The PCS DWP Group Campaigns Committee met earlier this week and agreed to call for strike action across the DWP to fight management’s decision to issue compulsory redundancy notices to 43 of our members. Despite every possible effort by the GEC in negotiation the DWP went ahead and issued compulsory redundancy notices on 15 November.
Since then we have working tirelessly to contact every individual member threatened and talk to them and their local PCS reps about their wishes. We have also continued to put pressure on DWP to provide work for each of them to do.
DWP does not have enough staff. There is more than enough work for all these staff to do.
Due to the job cuts that have taken place over the last few years, five Administrative Assistants in the Fylde area were placed in meaningful consultation during 2012 and therefore in real danger of being made compulsory redundant.
We discussed the situation with all the members involved and raised the issue with the employer to try and ensure that they were found alternative posts. Thankfully this was achieved in the Fylde area, but not in the other areas of the Department.
The danger of redundancies has not gone away though from the Fylde.
We discussed the situation with all the members involved and raised the issue with the employer to try and ensure that they were found alternative posts. Thankfully this was achieved in the Fylde area, but not in the other areas of the Department.
The danger of redundancies has not gone away though from the Fylde.
This decision is political and must be seen for what it is. PCS will fight this decision with everything at our disposal. We know that you will want to support our colleagues who are faced with this horrible situation This is also about the principle of making staff redundant when we need more staff not less. PCS members in the DWP voted in the summer by 92.2% to say we would fight compulsory redundancies. We will now be asking you to vote in a strike ballot to put that decision into action.
This situation is completely unnecessary. There is plenty of work for these staff to do. The DWP must be made to understand that at a time when our pay is being cut, our pension contributions increased, our terms and conditions torn up and welfare reforms are making our job increasingly difficult, many members will see this attack on job security as the ‘final straw’.
We encourage all members to participate in protests being organised on November 30th.
We are taking the case of the 43 staff facing redundancy up with the PCS parliamentary group who will raise questions with ministers and in parliament on our behalf. Many members will now be asking themselves if they can do this to them, how long before it’s me?
All members are encouraged to write to their MP about this disgraceful attack and do all you can to highlight the issue with your colleagues.
The above information has been supplied by PCS HQ.
