The following
details have been supplied by PCS DWP Group:
The Group Executive Committee
met DWP management again last week about the government’s political attack on
check off for PCS members. The DWP have now formally stated, “we intend to
remove check off with appropriate notice”. The GEC will
continue to fully oppose the ending of
check off.
Hypocrisy
Management
argue that check off is old fashioned and not appropriate in a modern workplace.
Yet when questioned by the GEC they have confirmed that they are not stopping
check off for any other organisations. They will continue to operate check off
for HASSRA. So what they really mean is that the government hate PCS because
our union has challenged their failed austerity programme and they are ending
check off in a political attack on our union’s finances. They have even
approached PCS to ask if they can promote our credit union and allow staff to
pay into it by check off. The government’s hypocrisy is breathtaking.
Waste of Money
Following
the privatisation of Shared Services DWP check off is now done by the private
company SSCL. SSCL will charge the DWP to end check off. We know that it will
cost much more to end check off than it would to carry on with check off. This
is what happens when you sell our work to a private company. Naturally they
want a profit for implementing a change. The GEC has made clear that this is a
misuse of taxpayer’s money on a political whim.
In
line with national union bargaining policy the GEC has offered to pay to keep
check off. This charging option has in fact always been in the national civil
service code. DWP have agreed that they will include this offer in their final
report to the DWP Ministers.
Pension changes risk
SSCL
also have to implement the 2015 civil service pension changes next spring. The
DWP say they believe that SSCL can cope with both jobs; administering the end
of check off and the civil service pension changes, at the same time. Whilst
PCS is opposed to many of the civil service pension changes the GEC have
nevertheless told DWP management that it is wrong to force SSCL to do both jobs
at the same time and they should be allowed to focus on
the
changes to the civil service pension scheme. The GEC have told DWP management
that it is wrong to take any risk with the civil service pension changes by
asking SSCL to do this extra job.
Appropriate notice
The
final meeting with the DWP is on Wednesday 26 November. In the meantime the GEC
have written to management again repeating in full all of our opposition to the
ending of check off. The DWP have agreed to include the full wording of our
opposition to the end of check off in the report that goes to DWP ministers for
a final decision.
In
terms of “appropriate notice”, PCS would expect the DWP to give 90 days’ notice
for such a fundamental change but no specific commitment has been given.
However, we anticipate that the last check off in the DWP will be at the end of
February. The GEC is continuing to argue for a later date or for check off to
carry on.
It
is PCS national conference policy to move all of our members to Direct Debit by
April 2015. The national union has also agreed that all Direct Debit payments
will be on the first of each month. If management end check off at the end of
February 2015 the first payment by Direct Debit in the DWP would therefore be 1st
April 2015. Following lengthy and detailed negotiations and pressure by the GEC
DWP management’s most likely timetable for ending check off fits in with PCS
conference policy of moving all members to Direct Debit by April 2015.
