LGBT Matters issue 5
PCS Proud Charter
PCS Proud Contacts
30.5.14
PCS Proud info.
LGBT Matters issue 5
PCS Proud Charter
PCS Proud Contacts
28.5.14
People's Assembly Against Austerity
The following has been supplied by the NW Regional Committee:
Colleagues,
The People's Assembly Against Austerity will stage a significant national demonstration in London on 21st June. Details can be found here.
We have a strictly limited budget to provide assistance with transport for PCS members. Given the limits on available funding, this is likely to be by coach only (via local People's Assembly groups) rather than reimbursement of individual rail fares.
We know of coaches being run from Manchester and Preston at this stage but will consider requests from other parts of the region if further People's Assembly groups or Trades Councils arrange them.
If any members of your Branch intend to travel to the event on one of these coaches, please provide their name, membership number and mobile phone number by return of email no later than Friday 6th June. Assuming the costs remain within budget we will confirm our arrangements to book places on your behalf by Monday 9th June.
The PCS Regional Banner (and other flags) will be available on request for any group of 2-4 members willing to take it to the event.
Regards,
Peter Middleman
NW Regional Secretary
Public & Commercial Services Union
***If any member of the Branch does wish to attend, please contact the Branch Office for details on how to contact Peter***
Colleagues,
The People's Assembly Against Austerity will stage a significant national demonstration in London on 21st June. Details can be found here.
We have a strictly limited budget to provide assistance with transport for PCS members. Given the limits on available funding, this is likely to be by coach only (via local People's Assembly groups) rather than reimbursement of individual rail fares.
We know of coaches being run from Manchester and Preston at this stage but will consider requests from other parts of the region if further People's Assembly groups or Trades Councils arrange them.
If any members of your Branch intend to travel to the event on one of these coaches, please provide their name, membership number and mobile phone number by return of email no later than Friday 6th June. Assuming the costs remain within budget we will confirm our arrangements to book places on your behalf by Monday 9th June.
The PCS Regional Banner (and other flags) will be available on request for any group of 2-4 members willing to take it to the event.
Regards,
Peter Middleman
NW Regional Secretary
Public & Commercial Services Union
***If any member of the Branch does wish to attend, please contact the Branch Office for details on how to contact Peter***
27.5.14
Consultative Ballot and Pay
Consultative ballot on the national campaign and pay
Conference agreed last week to consult members on our national campaign, including taking part in a campaign of coordinated action with other unions aimed at ending the public sector pay cap, and setting up a levy to fund targeted action in our areas.
To launch the campaign PCS is organising a "we all need a pay rise" day on 12th June 2014 to coincide with the opening of the ballot.
We need a serious challenge to the government's pay policy. Our members need a pay rise and winning this ballot, building support for strike action and the campaign is an urgent task for us all.
Remember - DWP members need a pay rise
The GEC has submitted a pay claim for 2014 demanding:
A 1% increase means that PCS members will be even worse off in real terms.
In the private sector wage settlements this year are predicted to exceed the rate of inflation for the first time since the recession began in 2007.
Against this background PCS members will be angry at a Government that wants to hold down their pay again, deny pay progression and allow the gap between DWP pay and other comparable outside private sector workers get bigger.
The PCS DWP GEC will fight for a fair pay increase.
Conference agreed last week to consult members on our national campaign, including taking part in a campaign of coordinated action with other unions aimed at ending the public sector pay cap, and setting up a levy to fund targeted action in our areas.
To launch the campaign PCS is organising a "we all need a pay rise" day on 12th June 2014 to coincide with the opening of the ballot.
We need a serious challenge to the government's pay policy. Our members need a pay rise and winning this ballot, building support for strike action and the campaign is an urgent task for us all.
Remember - DWP members need a pay rise
The GEC has submitted a pay claim for 2014 demanding:
- An end to the government imposed pay freeze/cap
- A Minimum 5% or £1,200 consolidated pay increase
- Short pay scales and pay progression as a right for all staff
- Closing the pay gaps within and across departments
- No discriminatory performance pay
- The Living Wage to underpin all pay policies and contracts
A 1% increase means that PCS members will be even worse off in real terms.
In the private sector wage settlements this year are predicted to exceed the rate of inflation for the first time since the recession began in 2007.
Against this background PCS members will be angry at a Government that wants to hold down their pay again, deny pay progression and allow the gap between DWP pay and other comparable outside private sector workers get bigger.
The PCS DWP GEC will fight for a fair pay increase.
23.5.14
Consultative ballot on the national campaign and pay
Conference agreed this week to consult members on our national campaign, including taking part in a campaign of coordinated strike action with other unions aimed at ending the public sector pay cap, and setting up a levy to fund targeted action in our areas.
To launch the campaign PCS is organising a "we all need a pay rise" day on 12th June 2014 to coincide with the opening of the ballot. We need a serious challenge to the government's pay policy.
Our members need a pay rise and winning this ballot, building support for strike action and the campaign is an urgent task for us all.
To launch the campaign PCS is organising a "we all need a pay rise" day on 12th June 2014 to coincide with the opening of the ballot. We need a serious challenge to the government's pay policy.
Our members need a pay rise and winning this ballot, building support for strike action and the campaign is an urgent task for us all.
The Majority of DWP Norcross - Oh what happened to you?
Members who drive past DWP Norcross may have noticed that the site flattening stage has now nearly concluded/concluded.
Questions are being raised as to when the next stages will commence. The following Q and A responds to some of the commonly raised points:
Q. Remind me what were the next stages according to the employer?
A. Initially the employer indicated that they were working in conjunction with Blackpool Bay regarding the future of the site.
There were then outline planning proposals to Wyre Borough Council to redevelop the site, to include Work, Housing (including Sheltered Accommodation), and Retail etc.
Members who worked at the former DWP Norcross were invited to attend a session and view the plans for the site in the former canteen (which has now also been levelled).
Q. Who are Blackpool Bay?
A. We have been informed that Blackpool Bay was an organisation supported by the local Councils in relation to the Casino Bid (that failed and was cancelled).
Q. So is there a buyer and developer for the former majority DWP Site?
A. We have been reliably informed that there isn’t.
Q. So what about the new work that was earmarked on the plans?
A. Your guess is as good as ours.
Q. So will there be a buyer, when will work start, why were the buildings demolished when DWP management on the Fylde say that space is at a premium?
A. Your guess is as good as ours.
Q. Was the closure of Marton Mere and subsequent movement of 250+ staff from Marton Mere to Warbreck taken into account when the majority of DWP Norcross was decided to be closed?
A. No.
22.5.14
SHARED SERVICES - MEMBERS’ MEETINGS
CHANGE OF TIMES
Please be advised of Steria PCS members meetings to discuss the recent announcement regarding the future jobs and locations of Shared Services.
The following meetings have been arranged:
Thursday 22nd May 2014 -
Tomlinson House Canteen
1:45PM - 2:45PM
and
3:00PM - 4:00PM
facility time has been applied for, for you to attend one of the meetings, please make every effort to do so.
Yours sincerely
DUNCAN GRIFFITHS
Branch Secretary
21.5.14
European Election Reminder - PCS Actively Supports Hope Not Hate
Please see the two documents supplied.
Griffin Must Go (Supplied by Unite Against Facism)
Join the Movement for Hope
Appraisal Disagreements 2014
If you have an issue with your performance marking please read the PCS guidance and act on it prior to contacting the branch office. We can provide representation for members experiencing difficulty after following the guidance but due to our limited resources cannot physically provide personal advice on every single case in its initial stages.
People Performance Disagreements 2013-14
Unfair Must Improve Markings 2013-14
The guidance is also on a permanent link on the right hand side of the blog.
People Performance Disagreements 2013-14
Unfair Must Improve Markings 2013-14
The guidance is also on a permanent link on the right hand side of the blog.
Pay Facts
The following details have been supplied by the PCS HQ:
Some pay facts:
Fact 1.
Former Cabinet Secretary Gus O’Donnell told the Guardian in November 2010 that median salary in of a civil servant was lower than the wider public sector, and lower than the private sector.
Fact 2.
In the four years between 2010 and 2013, the cost of living rose faster than civil service pay each year. Figures released by the civil service show that average (median) pay increased by only 6 per cent during these four years. The cost of living, prices, housing and other costs rose by 16 per cent, meaning that the average civil servant is around £2,300 worse-off than in 2010. NB this doesn’t take into account the Public Sector Workers’ tax.
Fact 3.
A recent study by pay consultants Croner shows that civil service pay is now 6.4% below pay of similar private sector jobs
Some pay facts:
Fact 1.
Former Cabinet Secretary Gus O’Donnell told the Guardian in November 2010 that median salary in of a civil servant was lower than the wider public sector, and lower than the private sector.
Fact 2.
In the four years between 2010 and 2013, the cost of living rose faster than civil service pay each year. Figures released by the civil service show that average (median) pay increased by only 6 per cent during these four years. The cost of living, prices, housing and other costs rose by 16 per cent, meaning that the average civil servant is around £2,300 worse-off than in 2010. NB this doesn’t take into account the Public Sector Workers’ tax.
Fact 3.
A recent study by pay consultants Croner shows that civil service pay is now 6.4% below pay of similar private sector jobs
Support the Durham Miners' Gala
The organisers of the UK's biggest trade union event, The Durham Miners' Gala, are appealing for help after its future was threatened because of a massive legal bill.
In 2012, the Durham Miners’ Association (DMA) set up the Friends of the Durham Miners’ Gala to ensure that this increasingly popular celebration of trade union and community spirit would continue well into the future.
The popular decades-old annual event, which is due to take place on 12 July, is jeopardised because the DMA, which provides a range of services for its members who are former miners, has received a bill for £2 million as the final settlement of the legal costs incurred in its six-year fight for compensation for miners suffering from osteoarthritis of the knees.
Crippling disease
Dave Hopper, general secretary of the DMA, said: "Many of our members are severely disabled by this crippling industrial disease and we were desperately disappointed when a judge in the High Court refused to allow their case to be heard.
"Our case was watertight. Lawyers on both sides agreed that the injuries to our members were caused by their work in the mines and we had compelling evidence that the National Coal Board (NCB) knew that miners working in certain conditions and doing jobs which involved heavy lifting were at risk of developing this painful disease. We were confident therefore that, given the chance, our lawyers could have proved that the NCB was liable for the damage our members have suffered.
"We were so determined to get them the justice they deserve we appealed the judges ruling in the Court of Appeal, but to no avail.
"It is a sad day for British justice when a judge can decide that men who have given a lifetime of service to the economy of the country, working in hard and dangerous conditions underground, can’t have their day in court.
"Paying this bill will have a serious effect on our finances, which means that our ability to continue with the Durham Miners’ Gala will depend largely on donations to The Friends of the Durham Miners’ Gala."
Show your support
You can support this key date in the PCS calendar either by making a one-off donation or, even better, setting up a standing order for as little as £2 a month to become a friend of the Durham Miners’ Gala, and receive a brochure with photographs and a report of the event each year.
Join the Friends of the Gala
- Write to Friends of the Durham Miners’ Gala, PO Box 6, The Miners’ Hall, Durham DH1 4BB
- Call 0191 384 3515.
- Make a one-off donation through the DMA website
16.5.14
Group Black Members Network
The following details have been supplied by the PCS DWP Group:
The DWP Group have four advisory committees whose role it is to offer advice on issues affecting a particular group who share the same characteristics. They are the Group Women’s Advisory Committee (GWAC); the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender committee (LGBT) the Group Equality Committee (GEqC) and the Group Black Members Committee.
The Group revisited the equality and inclusion strategy 2013 and put forward motion A266 which was adopted at conference. The intention of the motion is to ensure that we are able to reach members and activists at all levels of the union. It aspires to reach more members, promoting and supporting activism in all regions by holding geographical equality events tailored to the particular demographics of the area and an overarching annual equality event for more experienced equality reps and activists.
Motion A266 also instructed the GEC to establish a Group Black Members Network. Prior to motion A266, seven members of the GBMC were elected by block vote at conference and seven by members attending the annual GBMC seminar. However, as numbers to this highly popular seminar were limited, this by default limited the numbers eligible to vote.
The Group Black Members network will empower more Black Members enabling them to elect the activists they feel will best represent them and to deal issues that may be peculiar to specific regions.
The GEC believe that this will help improve communications as we will be able to direct mail to network members about issues that may have a greater impact on a particular strand. It may also aid us in building stronger links to black members everywhere within the DWP group.
The National Union strategy to increase under-representation recognised six key indicators to build a union more representative of its membership. They are:
The GEC believe the network will ensure that we are working towards the aims set out in the National Strategy and whilst it recognises that much good work has been done on making progress towards equality, there is still more to do.
Registration forms are available on request from the Branch office.
The DWP Group have four advisory committees whose role it is to offer advice on issues affecting a particular group who share the same characteristics. They are the Group Women’s Advisory Committee (GWAC); the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender committee (LGBT) the Group Equality Committee (GEqC) and the Group Black Members Committee.
The Group revisited the equality and inclusion strategy 2013 and put forward motion A266 which was adopted at conference. The intention of the motion is to ensure that we are able to reach members and activists at all levels of the union. It aspires to reach more members, promoting and supporting activism in all regions by holding geographical equality events tailored to the particular demographics of the area and an overarching annual equality event for more experienced equality reps and activists.
Motion A266 also instructed the GEC to establish a Group Black Members Network. Prior to motion A266, seven members of the GBMC were elected by block vote at conference and seven by members attending the annual GBMC seminar. However, as numbers to this highly popular seminar were limited, this by default limited the numbers eligible to vote.
The Group Black Members network will empower more Black Members enabling them to elect the activists they feel will best represent them and to deal issues that may be peculiar to specific regions.
The GEC believe that this will help improve communications as we will be able to direct mail to network members about issues that may have a greater impact on a particular strand. It may also aid us in building stronger links to black members everywhere within the DWP group.
The National Union strategy to increase under-representation recognised six key indicators to build a union more representative of its membership. They are:
- Ensuring that under represented groups are able to participate in union activity
- Tackling under representation on decision making bodies
- Building networks and equality structures
- Representing members
- Progressing equality issues
- Reviewing and reporting on progress
The GEC believe the network will ensure that we are working towards the aims set out in the National Strategy and whilst it recognises that much good work has been done on making progress towards equality, there is still more to do.
Registration forms are available on request from the Branch office.
DWP announces staff moves across Operations
The following details have been supplied by the PCS DWP Group:DWP has today announced its intention to transfer nearly 1,000 staff out of Work Services Directorate into other parts of Operations. Their intention is to do this by a combination of voluntary and compulsory moves.
Voluntary Moves
Staff in Work Services, who live within travelling distance of the offices listed below, are being asked to voluntarily transfer, on a permanent basis, to:
Why is DWP doing this?
DWP maintain that there are more staff in Work Services directorate than they are resourced for. At the same time DWP say that they need more staff in Universal Credit, Contact Centres, Benefit Centres and Pensions. DWP claim that the recent falls in unemployment mean that they require less staff in Job Centres despite the recent increase in activity in Job Centres caused by the Help to Work and SR13 Conditionality measures.
PCS disputes this. While we welcome the belated recognition that some parts of Operations need extra staff we do not accept that Work Services is over-staffed. In fact we believe that more staff are needed there every bit as much as in other parts of Operations. Management’s plans will leave the Job Centre network severely under-staffed at a time where there is a massive increase in footfall being created. It is a major risk to lose staff from Job Centres when the impact of the new conditionality measures is still unknown.
PCS also disputes that DWP Visiting can manage with the loss of Cardiff, Glasgow and Southampton Visiting Centres. PCS is in urgent talks with DWP management about the future of DWP Visiting if these centres are closed.
DWP needs more staff
The real underlying problem in DWP is simply that it does not have enough staff. 25,000 staff have been lost since 2010 and there are now not enough staff to continue to do all of the work that the department needs to do. Instead of desperately moving staff around the department to try and fill the biggest holes in staffing DWP management should go back to Ministers and demand the extra resources to recruit the additional staffing that it so urgently needs.
Other staffing measures
As well as the transfers announced today DWP also intends to recruit 250 Apprentices on a 12 month contract from July. These will be deployed in Contact Centres (200) and Pensions (50). PCS has told the department that it should only recruit apprentices if they are prepared to offer them a permanent post at the end of their apprenticeship. DWP have refused to agree to do this. PCS believe that the use of apprentices to fill staff vacancies is a deliberate casualisation of the workforce and denies the apprentices the job security that a large employer like DWP should give to everyone it employs.
The transfers to CMG that were announced last year will continue as planned, even though DWP admits that the areas exporting staff to CMG now need more staff. This shows the complete inability of DWP to properly plan its staffing requirements.
The AA to AO promotion exercise will continue as planned.
Promotion opportunities are being advertised at HEO, SEO and Grade 7 in Work Services. This will be open across the civil service to apply.
Conclusion
While PCS welcomes the attempt to fill some vacancies by volunteers, we are opposed to any use of compulsion. We don’t accept that Work Services is in any way over-resourced and we fear that Visiting may collapse if these changes are implemented. DWP must accept that the only solution is to recruit additional staffing. PCS believes that DWP cannot live within the drastically cut staffing budgets that it has been set and we will continue to press management to urgently start permanent external recruitment. PCS will be discussing our response to this announcement at the DWP Group Conference next week.
Voluntary Moves
Staff in Work Services, who live within travelling distance of the offices listed below, are being asked to voluntarily transfer, on a permanent basis, to:
- 2 Universal Credit Service Centres – Glasgow and Bangor (104 staff)
- 20 Contact Centres – Middlesbrough, Coventry, Telford, Lincoln, Lowestoft, Annersley, Norwich, Derby, Halifax, Paisley, Dundee, Exeter, Poole, Taunton, Torquay, Newport, Bridgend, Pembroke Dock (436 staff)
- 4 Benefit Centres – Stratford, Hackney and Worthing, Cosham (156 staff)
- Glasgow Visiting Booking centre to move to Glasgow Universal Credit centre (95 staff)
- Glasgow Access to Work centre to move to Glasgow Universal Credit centre (18 staff)
- Cardiff Visiting centre to move to Pensions Directorate (71 staff)
- Southampton Visiting Centre to move to Benefits Directorate (49 staff)
Why is DWP doing this?
DWP maintain that there are more staff in Work Services directorate than they are resourced for. At the same time DWP say that they need more staff in Universal Credit, Contact Centres, Benefit Centres and Pensions. DWP claim that the recent falls in unemployment mean that they require less staff in Job Centres despite the recent increase in activity in Job Centres caused by the Help to Work and SR13 Conditionality measures.
PCS disputes this. While we welcome the belated recognition that some parts of Operations need extra staff we do not accept that Work Services is over-staffed. In fact we believe that more staff are needed there every bit as much as in other parts of Operations. Management’s plans will leave the Job Centre network severely under-staffed at a time where there is a massive increase in footfall being created. It is a major risk to lose staff from Job Centres when the impact of the new conditionality measures is still unknown.
PCS also disputes that DWP Visiting can manage with the loss of Cardiff, Glasgow and Southampton Visiting Centres. PCS is in urgent talks with DWP management about the future of DWP Visiting if these centres are closed.
DWP needs more staff
The real underlying problem in DWP is simply that it does not have enough staff. 25,000 staff have been lost since 2010 and there are now not enough staff to continue to do all of the work that the department needs to do. Instead of desperately moving staff around the department to try and fill the biggest holes in staffing DWP management should go back to Ministers and demand the extra resources to recruit the additional staffing that it so urgently needs.
Other staffing measures
As well as the transfers announced today DWP also intends to recruit 250 Apprentices on a 12 month contract from July. These will be deployed in Contact Centres (200) and Pensions (50). PCS has told the department that it should only recruit apprentices if they are prepared to offer them a permanent post at the end of their apprenticeship. DWP have refused to agree to do this. PCS believe that the use of apprentices to fill staff vacancies is a deliberate casualisation of the workforce and denies the apprentices the job security that a large employer like DWP should give to everyone it employs.
The transfers to CMG that were announced last year will continue as planned, even though DWP admits that the areas exporting staff to CMG now need more staff. This shows the complete inability of DWP to properly plan its staffing requirements.
The AA to AO promotion exercise will continue as planned.
Promotion opportunities are being advertised at HEO, SEO and Grade 7 in Work Services. This will be open across the civil service to apply.
Conclusion
While PCS welcomes the attempt to fill some vacancies by volunteers, we are opposed to any use of compulsion. We don’t accept that Work Services is in any way over-resourced and we fear that Visiting may collapse if these changes are implemented. DWP must accept that the only solution is to recruit additional staffing. PCS believes that DWP cannot live within the drastically cut staffing budgets that it has been set and we will continue to press management to urgently start permanent external recruitment. PCS will be discussing our response to this announcement at the DWP Group Conference next week.
14.5.14
Jobless could be forced into zero hours jobs
The following details have been supplied by the TUC:
A new government ‘Help to Work’ scheme has been strongly criticised by unions after it was revealed jobseekers could be forced into zero hours contract jobs.
Launching the scheme last week, prime minister David Cameron said: “This scheme will provide more help than ever before, getting people into work and on the road to a more secure future.”
Under the scheme, jobseekers may lose their benefits for three months if they refuse a zero hours contract.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Forcing people into uncertain employment is not the answer to unemployment and may restrict the ability of claimants to seek secure, permanent work. We know that for many workers zero hours contracts mean zero job security, poor pay and no way of knowing what they’ll be earning from one day to the next.” She added: “With new plans under the ‘Help to Work’ scheme potentially meaning jobseekers will have to undertake community work alongside convicted offenders, the government is punishing people for being unemployed when they are the real victims here.”
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Jobcentre Plus workers’ union PCS, said the move was “a new kind of cruelty”, adding: “Ministers have presided over a massive increase in these exploitative contracts at the same time as millions more people are stuck in low-paid self-employed, temporary or part-time work. Instead of dreaming up new ways to force people into poverty, the government should be creating and encouraging sustainable jobs.” Insecure or ‘contingent’ work has been linked to higher rates of sickness absence and occupational injuries and diseases.
A new government ‘Help to Work’ scheme has been strongly criticised by unions after it was revealed jobseekers could be forced into zero hours contract jobs.
Launching the scheme last week, prime minister David Cameron said: “This scheme will provide more help than ever before, getting people into work and on the road to a more secure future.”
Under the scheme, jobseekers may lose their benefits for three months if they refuse a zero hours contract.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Forcing people into uncertain employment is not the answer to unemployment and may restrict the ability of claimants to seek secure, permanent work. We know that for many workers zero hours contracts mean zero job security, poor pay and no way of knowing what they’ll be earning from one day to the next.” She added: “With new plans under the ‘Help to Work’ scheme potentially meaning jobseekers will have to undertake community work alongside convicted offenders, the government is punishing people for being unemployed when they are the real victims here.”
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Jobcentre Plus workers’ union PCS, said the move was “a new kind of cruelty”, adding: “Ministers have presided over a massive increase in these exploitative contracts at the same time as millions more people are stuck in low-paid self-employed, temporary or part-time work. Instead of dreaming up new ways to force people into poverty, the government should be creating and encouraging sustainable jobs.” Insecure or ‘contingent’ work has been linked to higher rates of sickness absence and occupational injuries and diseases.
People Performance: End of Year Markings
The DWP insists that there is no 10% quota for a Must Improve end of year marking. We have heard different. Some team leaders have told staff that one member of each team must be given the Must Improve marking to ‘meet the quota’. This is unacceptable. Some line managers are being told that they will be given a Must Improve marking if they fail to meet the 10% quota for their team. In order to do so, they are inventing some of the most bizarre reasons, usually under behaviours, to justify Must Improve.
The table below provides a summary of some of the Must Improve cases that we have dealt with by PCS in the last 12 months. Must Improve ratings mean no pay increase and more chance of being dismissed. Members should note that we win most appeals. We are therefore advising all members to appeal all Must Improve. If you are given a Must Improve, contact your local rep immediately.
The table below provides a summary of some of the Must Improve cases that we have dealt with by PCS in the last 12 months. Must Improve ratings mean no pay increase and more chance of being dismissed. Members should note that we win most appeals. We are therefore advising all members to appeal all Must Improve. If you are given a Must Improve, contact your local rep immediately.
DWP members need a pay rise
The following details have been supplied by the PCS DWP Group:
The GEC has submitted a pay claim for 2014 demanding:
A 1% increase means that PCS members will be even worse off in real terms.
In the private sector wage settlements this year are predicted to exceed the rate of inflation for the first time since the recession began in 2007.
Against this background PCS members will be angry at a Government that wants to hold down their pay again, deny pay progression and allow the gap between DWP pay and other comparable outside private sector workers get bigger.
The PCS DWP GEC will fight for a fair pay increase.
The GEC has submitted a pay claim for 2014 demanding:
- An end to the government imposed pay freeze/cap
- A Minimum 5% or £1,200 consolidated pay increase
- Short pay scales and pay progression as a right for all staff
- Closing the pay gaps within and across departments
- No discriminatory performance pay
- The Living Wage to underpin all pay policies and contracts
A 1% increase means that PCS members will be even worse off in real terms.
In the private sector wage settlements this year are predicted to exceed the rate of inflation for the first time since the recession began in 2007.
Against this background PCS members will be angry at a Government that wants to hold down their pay again, deny pay progression and allow the gap between DWP pay and other comparable outside private sector workers get bigger.
The PCS DWP GEC will fight for a fair pay increase.
7.5.14
Government cuts ‘vital’ safety protections
The following details have been supplied by the TUC:
The government’s persistent ideological attacks on key health and safety legislation threaten even more accidents, injuries and deaths at work, the TUC has warned.
Commenting on 28 April, International Workers’ Memorial Day, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The government says that the UK is a safe place to work and that we don’t need any more regulation. If only this were the case. With the UK ranked just 20th in the health and safety risk index of 34 developed nations, we’ve hardly got a record to be proud of.” She added: “Good employers who work closely with unions improving health and safety at work don’t see regulation as an intrusive burden. But rogue bosses, who are happy to cut corners and take risks with their employees’ lives, do. There is a real danger that further cuts and deregulation will destroy the workplace safety culture that has existed in Britain for many decades – with a disastrous effect on workers’ health and safety.”
The union head added “there is an alternative – a government that is committed to protecting workers and puts a stop to the large-scale negligence that claims the lives or health of far too many workers and costs the state billions of pounds.” TUC estimates over 20,000 people in the UK die prematurely every year as a result of their work
The government’s persistent ideological attacks on key health and safety legislation threaten even more accidents, injuries and deaths at work, the TUC has warned.
Commenting on 28 April, International Workers’ Memorial Day, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The government says that the UK is a safe place to work and that we don’t need any more regulation. If only this were the case. With the UK ranked just 20th in the health and safety risk index of 34 developed nations, we’ve hardly got a record to be proud of.” She added: “Good employers who work closely with unions improving health and safety at work don’t see regulation as an intrusive burden. But rogue bosses, who are happy to cut corners and take risks with their employees’ lives, do. There is a real danger that further cuts and deregulation will destroy the workplace safety culture that has existed in Britain for many decades – with a disastrous effect on workers’ health and safety.”
The union head added “there is an alternative – a government that is committed to protecting workers and puts a stop to the large-scale negligence that claims the lives or health of far too many workers and costs the state billions of pounds.” TUC estimates over 20,000 people in the UK die prematurely every year as a result of their work
2.5.14
Do not use box mark quotas for ratings!
The following has been supplied by PCS DWP Group:
Ratings must not be changed or forced simply to fit the distribution guide
Your end-of-year rating must be fair
Your performance must be fairly assessed and rated. Every employee is entitled to a fair assessment of their performance and the award of a performance rating which they have achieved. People Performance Procedure 9.7 requires that: End-of-year ratings will always be based on a balanced consideration of the employee’s personal performance over the entire period and decisions must be transparent, fair and reasonable. There must be no surprises Your final end-of-year rating should not come as a surprise to you for three major reasons:
1. Known performance expectations
At the start of the performance year Managers must explain what the performance expectations are in the employee’s own work context so that there is a shared understanding of performance expectations for the employee’s peer group. (Procedure 5.3 & How to: Set Performance Expectations Consistently at the start of the Year guide 10)
2. Regular performance discussions
Regular discussions and consistency checking during the performance year should ensure consistency at the end of the year – i.e. that the employee’s performance has not been over or under-estimated in relation to other employees in their peer group (Procedure 7 & How to hold Regular Performance Discussions guide)
3. Ratings will not be changed or forced simply to fit the distribution (Procedure 9.3).
Your performance must be fairly evaluated against:
There is no procedural requirement that managers must meet the distribution ranges at the end of the year. Managers must not co-operate with any local misuse of the guided distribution as ‘box mark quotas’. They must comply with DWP policy not to do so.
Dispute unfair ratings
Contact your local PCS representative for advice, support and representation should you be awarded an unfair performance rating.
Ratings must not be changed or forced simply to fit the distribution guide
Your end-of-year rating must be fair
Your performance must be fairly assessed and rated. Every employee is entitled to a fair assessment of their performance and the award of a performance rating which they have achieved. People Performance Procedure 9.7 requires that: End-of-year ratings will always be based on a balanced consideration of the employee’s personal performance over the entire period and decisions must be transparent, fair and reasonable. There must be no surprises Your final end-of-year rating should not come as a surprise to you for three major reasons:
1. Known performance expectations
At the start of the performance year Managers must explain what the performance expectations are in the employee’s own work context so that there is a shared understanding of performance expectations for the employee’s peer group. (Procedure 5.3 & How to: Set Performance Expectations Consistently at the start of the Year guide 10)
2. Regular performance discussions
Regular discussions and consistency checking during the performance year should ensure consistency at the end of the year – i.e. that the employee’s performance has not been over or under-estimated in relation to other employees in their peer group (Procedure 7 & How to hold Regular Performance Discussions guide)
3. Ratings will not be changed or forced simply to fit the distribution (Procedure 9.3).
Your performance must be fairly evaluated against:
- the ‘What’ (delivery of objectives) and
- the ‘How’ (demonstration of behaviours, competencies and values),
- and known performance expectations, which are the standards set at the start of the year with equal weighting between ‘What’ and ‘How’.
There is no procedural requirement that managers must meet the distribution ranges at the end of the year. Managers must not co-operate with any local misuse of the guided distribution as ‘box mark quotas’. They must comply with DWP policy not to do so.
Dispute unfair ratings
Contact your local PCS representative for advice, support and representation should you be awarded an unfair performance rating.
TUC explodes the ‘compensation myth’
The following details have been supplied by the TUC:
Workplace compensation cases have fallen by more than 50 per cent in the last decade, reveals a new joint report from the TUC and the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). ‘The compensation myth’ – which tackles seven myths about compensation – smashes the misconception of a rise in risk aversion driven by a compensation culture. It reveals that there were 183,342 compensation claims in 2002/03 but only 91,115 in 2012/13, a fall of more than 50 per cent.
The report notes more than six out of seven (85.7 per cent) workers who are injured or made ill at work get no compensation whatsoever.
The government meanwhile is making it even harder for workers to pursue claims by taking the burden of proof away from the employer and increasing the costs workers have to pay to have their cases heard. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The government is forever trying to brainwash us into thinking the UK has a rampant compensation culture, but – as this new report shows – the facts tell a very different story. Even those dying from work-related diseases have precious little chance of getting a decent payout.” She added: “The true government motivation here is to weaken health and safety legislation and make it even harder for victims to pursue claims against their employers. Unfortunately the end result is likely to be a much higher rate of workplace accidents, injuries and illnesses in the future.”
Workplace compensation cases have fallen by more than 50 per cent in the last decade, reveals a new joint report from the TUC and the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). ‘The compensation myth’ – which tackles seven myths about compensation – smashes the misconception of a rise in risk aversion driven by a compensation culture. It reveals that there were 183,342 compensation claims in 2002/03 but only 91,115 in 2012/13, a fall of more than 50 per cent.
The report notes more than six out of seven (85.7 per cent) workers who are injured or made ill at work get no compensation whatsoever.
The government meanwhile is making it even harder for workers to pursue claims by taking the burden of proof away from the employer and increasing the costs workers have to pay to have their cases heard. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The government is forever trying to brainwash us into thinking the UK has a rampant compensation culture, but – as this new report shows – the facts tell a very different story. Even those dying from work-related diseases have precious little chance of getting a decent payout.” She added: “The true government motivation here is to weaken health and safety legislation and make it even harder for victims to pursue claims against their employers. Unfortunately the end result is likely to be a much higher rate of workplace accidents, injuries and illnesses in the future.”
No tears after top Tory’s legal costs shocker
The following details have been supplied by the TUC:
A top Tory acquitted of criminal charges but left with a £130,000 legal bill is getting a bitter taste of how his party’s policies have hit injured workers. Before his arrest, Conservative MP and former deputy speaker Nigel Evans made statements about the need to cut legal aid and admitted he would probably have voted for the last round of cuts in 2011 had he not been deputy speaker at the time.
Now he says the taxpayer should pick up his legal costs. Since the election the government has ended the system that allowed workers to pursue claims and receive all their damages, leaving them liable to hand over up to 25 per cent of their payout in costs.
The government has also introduced charges for taking a claim to an employment tribunal and slashed legal aid.
In light of his party’s policies, TUC’s Hugh Robertson said it was “incredible” that Nigel Evans should complain that he has been hit with a large costs bill. Writing in TUC’s Stronger Unions blog, the union body’s head of safety said: “Of course it is wrong that an acquitted man should have to pay a penny,” but he added “it is also wrong that, as a result of the actions of him and his party, workers have to pay a proportion of their compensation in legal costs when they are injured at work through no fault of their own and workers who are sacked for being a safety rep have to pay for the privilege of taking their employer to court.” He concludes: “The Tories had absolutely no concern about the effect that their changes would have on injured workers, those seeking justice from their employers, or even those accused of a crime. It is only now, that one of their own has suffered that we hear the call for change. Please forgive me if I do not shed a tear.”
A top Tory acquitted of criminal charges but left with a £130,000 legal bill is getting a bitter taste of how his party’s policies have hit injured workers. Before his arrest, Conservative MP and former deputy speaker Nigel Evans made statements about the need to cut legal aid and admitted he would probably have voted for the last round of cuts in 2011 had he not been deputy speaker at the time.
Now he says the taxpayer should pick up his legal costs. Since the election the government has ended the system that allowed workers to pursue claims and receive all their damages, leaving them liable to hand over up to 25 per cent of their payout in costs.
The government has also introduced charges for taking a claim to an employment tribunal and slashed legal aid.
In light of his party’s policies, TUC’s Hugh Robertson said it was “incredible” that Nigel Evans should complain that he has been hit with a large costs bill. Writing in TUC’s Stronger Unions blog, the union body’s head of safety said: “Of course it is wrong that an acquitted man should have to pay a penny,” but he added “it is also wrong that, as a result of the actions of him and his party, workers have to pay a proportion of their compensation in legal costs when they are injured at work through no fault of their own and workers who are sacked for being a safety rep have to pay for the privilege of taking their employer to court.” He concludes: “The Tories had absolutely no concern about the effect that their changes would have on injured workers, those seeking justice from their employers, or even those accused of a crime. It is only now, that one of their own has suffered that we hear the call for change. Please forgive me if I do not shed a tear.”
The corrosive truth about the government’s safety record
The following details have been supplied by the TUC:
The government’s “toxic, corrosive and hazardous” record on health and safety has placed workers at risk and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in jeopardy, the TUC has warned.
The union body’s evaluation finds that since the coalition came to power in 2010, HSE has suffered a funding cut of over 40 per cent and has seen its independence “undermined”. It adds that HSE’s occupational health functions and official safety inspections have been “drastically cut”, new regulations have been blocked and some existing protections removed, reporting requirements have been undermined and access to compensation for work-related injuries and illness has been restricted. TUC’s report, launched ahead of the 28 April International Workers’ Memorial Day, warns these changes “are having, and will continue to have, a significant effect on the health of workers.”
The report concludes: “The question is whether the HSE, and our health and safety system, can survive a further period of cuts, deregulation and political neglect or abuse. There must be a real concern that we are close to losing the workplace culture and consensus on safety that has existed in Britain for so many decades, and the results of that loss could be disastrous.” TUC says there “must be a sea-change in our attitude to health and safety if we are going to stop this massive health problem that costs the state billions of pounds but which claims the lives of far too many workers.” It says its 10-point manifesto for a protective regulatory and enforcement system with worker involvement follows a proven model that is good for employers, the economy and the workforce.
The government’s “toxic, corrosive and hazardous” record on health and safety has placed workers at risk and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in jeopardy, the TUC has warned.
The union body’s evaluation finds that since the coalition came to power in 2010, HSE has suffered a funding cut of over 40 per cent and has seen its independence “undermined”. It adds that HSE’s occupational health functions and official safety inspections have been “drastically cut”, new regulations have been blocked and some existing protections removed, reporting requirements have been undermined and access to compensation for work-related injuries and illness has been restricted. TUC’s report, launched ahead of the 28 April International Workers’ Memorial Day, warns these changes “are having, and will continue to have, a significant effect on the health of workers.”
The report concludes: “The question is whether the HSE, and our health and safety system, can survive a further period of cuts, deregulation and political neglect or abuse. There must be a real concern that we are close to losing the workplace culture and consensus on safety that has existed in Britain for so many decades, and the results of that loss could be disastrous.” TUC says there “must be a sea-change in our attitude to health and safety if we are going to stop this massive health problem that costs the state billions of pounds but which claims the lives of far too many workers.” It says its 10-point manifesto for a protective regulatory and enforcement system with worker involvement follows a proven model that is good for employers, the economy and the workforce.
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