PCS Conference

Mark Edwards and myself attended this year's DWP Group Conference (19th - 20th May), as well as the National Conference (21st-23rd May) as delegates for the Northamptonshire branch. As always I left Brighton feeling inspired and reinvigorated, although the conference was hard work (honestly!) and occasionally painful!





The Price of Everything...


Jane Aitchison, who was re-elected as the DWP Group President, started things off by thanking reps and members for their hardwork and dedication, especially on the 24th April when the overwhelming majority of members supported the strike action.

Jane criticised the imposed pay "deal" for PCS staff, which leaves the majority of staff with a pay cut due to the rate of inflation and many long serving staff with a 0% pay rise. The claim that there simply isn't enough money was put into focus when she gave examples of some of the things DWP has found the money for. They included personal grooming courses for Senior Managers at a cost of £967 per person, pay rises of between 6.5% & 7.6% for senior managers and (my favourite) Jobcentre Plus mirrors for the long term unemployed. Customers are advised to use the mirrors to:

• Practice smiling in



• Check that they don't have somrthing in between their teeth before an interview



• And to look into whilst repeating five times "I am a tiger"!

Pay Campaign

One of the biggest debates was around the tactics for the continuing pay campaign. The Group Executive proposed continuing with a similar strategy, with consideration for targeted action and action short of a strike, whilst ensuring members were regularly consulted.

Some branches felt the current stategy wasn't working. They proposed selective action. In other words, "key parts" of the business (for example Benefit Processing Centres) could go out on long term strike action. They argued that extra funds should be raised by putting a levy on all members and this could be used to help those involved in the selective action.

However the overwhelming majority of delegates voted with the GEC, feeling that selective action forced a minority of members to fight the campaign on behalf of the majority.

Local Pensions & CSA

Other motions were also passed on the first day committing PCS to fight for staff transferring from CSA to CMEC and ensure they maintain their civil service status, as well as a concerted campaign to ensure adequate staffing levels for in Local Pension Service.

Life Membership

Day One ended with the decision to award Distinguished Life Membership to retired reps who have done so much for PCS and it's predecessor union. We were especially pleased to hear that Ralph Baxter was amongst those included.

Domestic Violence

This is a subject which I have felt passionate about for many years. It has always shocked and saddened me how many of my close friends have been affected by this issue. I was pleased to speak on motion A118 which called for DWP to develop a coherent policy allowing special paid leave to those victims who face the trauma of attacks and their aftermath. The motion was overwhelmingly passed.

Campaigns Update

This document which you need Adobe to open, provides important information regarding ongoing campaigns. As you will see an agreement has been reached which will provide valuably needed extra protection for anybody marked surplus. This agreement has been reached through the hard work and negotiating skills of your national reps.

There is also some disturbing statistics about inflation which further demonstrates how poor the pay offer which has been forced on you actually is.

Although we have had a victory in the national campaign, the Departmental pay campaign is still ongoing. Whenever we have further information to provide we will do so.

Overtime Ban Starts Now!

As part of the industrial action all members are requested to refuse any offers of overtime.

Approximately eighty percent of members across our branch took part in the strike action earlier this week. By working overtime management are hoping to lessen the impact of this action.

We all know how difficult it is to go out on strike and sacrifice a couple of days pay. None of us are paid a fortune and no one can easily afford to have less money coming in. But that is the reason for the industrial action. The pay imposition is designed to ensure that most staff will receive a pay cut in real terms over the next three years.

It may be tempting for some to work overtime in the next few weeks. But by doing so you are personally responsible for undermining the financial sacrifice made by the members who went out on strike.

Over the next three years there are plans to reduce the number of staff in DWP by a further 12,000. Every member who crosses a picket line or works overtime is weakening the union's position. The union needs to be stronger than ever if it is to resist these cuts. Is a couple of days overtime really worth weakening PCS? Because never forget, no ones job is safe.

The National Campaign - What Next?

Now that consultation meetings have been held all over the country, the NEC need to take stock of what the members have told them.

The vast number of people who attended the meetings are fully behind the campaign and feel that PCS need to continue their action to fight against compulsory redundancies, to fight for fair pay rises, to stop outsourcing and privatization, to fight against cuts in the civil service compensation scheme and to fight against other attacks on our terms and conditions.

Although the last ballot for industrial action was for discontinuous action, which means that legally more strikes can happen at any time; the NEC has promised to issue a consultative, indicative ballot before any further national action is called.

Your ballot paper should arrive by the first week of October, and more information on the ballot and the campaign can be found here.