Season's Greetings

Your PCS Branch would like to send you all Season’s Greetings and wish you well for 2008.

2007 has been a busy year for your branch, and we would like to thank you for your support during the year.

We appreciate that asking you to take action in the way you have is often very difficult. The national campaign and the Group pay claim are still ongoing. PCS want to reach an amicable suitable settlement to both these campaigns and it is sincerely hoped that this will happen early in 2008.

On a local level the branch has had to reorganise following the retirement of its erstwhile Secretary Ralph MBE. Hopefully the officers have provided the membership with the support it has needed and Ralph’s departure has not been noticed.

Committee members do recognise that they are often away on TU duties, which puts a strain on their immediate colleagues. We are ever grateful for your individual support in this way.
Once again enjoy your time off and see you in 2008.

On Strike - Day Two And Photos

Day two of the strike was as successful if not more so than day one. Thanks again to all of you for your support. Pictures and newspaper cuttings are below.

Pictures from Northampton to follow later in the week.

The Overtime Ban Has Started

Following on from the marvellously successful two day strike please don't forget that a two week overtime ban is in operation from 8-21 December. We appreciate your support in taking industrial action on Thursday and Friday, but it is important the campaign goes on. Question two on the ballot paper asked if you were willing to take action short of a strike and 81.6% said YES.

We need to send a clear message to senior management that we will not be tempted to earn some money back whilst taking them out of the mire that industrial action put them in. Stay at home the next two weekends. Support the overtime ban

Day One At Daventry

Just wanted to add to Mark's comments below and thank members across the district for joining in today's action, especially those who braved the cold and rain to stand on the picket line. I was particularly pleased with the reaction of members in the Daventry office, which had a picket line for the first time in many years. In fact nearly half the members in the office joined the picket line (with more promising to join tomorrow) and ninety percent of members were out on strike.

No photos of today's picket line at Daventry, but Lynn Curtis kindly gave me this press cutting from 1985. In fact Lynn is the only person to have been on the picket line in 1985 and 2007. What struck me most of all was the placard saying "CPSA members like a joke: 4.5% is a cracker."

4.5%? Many of our members are only going to get 1% a year for the next three years. And they told us things could only get better.

On Strike - Day One

A massive thank you to all of you for your support today. This has probably been the best supported day of industrial action in many a year, proving that you all feel angry about the imposition of the pay offer.

We had picket lines at Northampton, Wellingborough, both Corby sites, and, for the first time since the 1980's; Daventry. Massive, massive thanks go to those of you who joined us on those picket lines. It is great that members who are not reps join in and show unity in this way.

We had interviews both today and yesterday with The Chronicle and Echo, The Evening Telegraph, and The Daventry Express, and articles have been in all three together with photographs. Some of these can be found online.

Branch Secretary Mark Edwards also gave a live interview to BBC Radio Northampton in which he described the 'rise' those on the max will be receiving as "frankly scandalous", which has now been adopted as the branch catchphrase.

Look here again tomorrow for links to press coverage and (hopefully) photos.

News from the front line

As you know we are unable to use the work email to let you know anything about industrial action. However we will be using this blog to keep you update with progress on Thursday and Friday.

Hopefully some of you will come down and keep us company on the picket line, but for the rest of you you can find out how it turned out across Northamptonshire on this site.

Last time we were on strike members the fire service came provided support, as well as donuts, for those on the picket line at Corby Debt Centre and they are hoping for more of the same this time!

The Weakest Link

A chain is only as stong as its weakest link, or so the cliche goes. A union is not only as strong as its weakest member, but the action of every single member is crucial, especially during industrial action.

Every PCS member, all of us, will have something to thank the union for. It may not be direct help you have received, but that doesn't mean that you aren't in a better position because of the union. Without PCS and its predecessor unions, we would not have the conditions that many of us take for granted, such as flexi time, term time working, generous maternity and paternity leave and the right to retire at sixty (or later) and receive a final salary pension.

Other members have received more direct help from reps both locally and nationally. Some of you reading this may not even still be employed without the hardwork and dedication of those within the PCS.

But PCS can only support members if the membership supports PCS. Managers don't consult with reps because of who they are as individuals. We haven't saved jobs or gained help for members because a manager liked our aftershave or perfume. We have won victories, big and small, because we are part of large, active and committed union.

Taking two days strike action next week will be difficult. Not one of us will not feel the impact of the loss of pay. But every member that crosses a picket line weakens the union.

Personally, you may have done okay out of the imposed pay offer, although it is estimated that many staff will suffer a 9% pay cut in real terms over the next three years. But if you break the strike you are saying that the pay cut for many staff is acceptable. You are saying that the job losses, increased stress and more work are acceptable.

Ask yourself a simple question. Will I need the union in the future? Be honest with yourself, if you didn't think you needed the union you wouldn't be in it. With privatisation, the increased use of the Third Sector and more job losses on the way we will all need the union. So why weaken it now?

Pain in the ATOS

Earlier this year ATOS took over the contract to carry out occupational health assessments for DWP staff. When a members of staff is referred for an OHS assessment it is usually because of an underlying health issue or disability, and the resulting report can help to determine what reasonable adjustments need to be put in place to help the staff member. This can involve anything from a change of duties to the introduction of specialist equipment, or simply an increase in the trigger days.

When ATOS took over the contract from Capita, they inherited a large backlog of work. However months later there are still many people waiting for this vital health assessment to take place. While they wait they continue to suffer from the impact of their health condition, as well as the stress of possible disciplinary action.

Across the region those who have had an assessment and are waiting for the reasonable adjustment to be put into place have been identified. In some cases staff have been on "gardening leave" for months while they wait for specialist equipment to put put in place.

However management do not have any idea how many staff are lost in the system awaiting the initial OHS assessment. If you have been waiting for ATOS to carry out an assessment on you for more than two months, please let me know so that we can esculate this issue with management and ATOS.

Don't suffer in silence. Your local TU reps can only help to get this issue resolved if we are made aware. Please contact me on john.andrews@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk

Two Day Strike Announced

After talks with management broke down on Wednesday, PCS DWP group have called a two day strike for Thursday 6th December and Friday 7th December.

PCS desperately want to solve this dispute by negotiation and were pleased when Peter Hain called a meeting in the light of the ballot result. However when the full PCS pay negotiating team turned up for the talks at the chosen start time of 12:30, they were suprised to be kept waiting until 13:15 for the two management representatives to turn up. The talks were regularly punctuated by management attendees nipping out of the room for reasons unknown.

Unfortunately no proposals or further offers were forthcoming, and PCS' request to award a consolidated 3.9% payrise to all members (which can be afforded), and to renegotiate years two and three was rejected.

It is clear then that the only way to force managements hands on this derisory pay imposition is to act on the ballot result and take the industrial action that the majority of members who voted have voted for.

Don't forget that even if your November pay packet looks good, it is a one off, and you will still be paid less money in 2009 than someone in your equivalent grade with your length of service is earning now in HMRC. The Government are refusing to award us a cost of living pay rise (or any rise at all in 2008 if you are on max) at the same time as bailing out Northern Rock to the tune of 20 to 30 Billion Pounds.

Please support your Union by joining in this industrial action. Members in Northants have always shown solidarity and have supported the democratic decisions of the union. Better still join us on a picket line, on one or both days. Anything would be appreciated. Please contact a local rep for details of how you can help.

Pay Ballot Result

The results of the DWP pay ballot have been published. The turnout is disappointingly low at 33%, but make no mistake: this is still a mandate to take industrial action in response to the now imposed pay offer. The fact that 67% of members did not vote is in no way a sign that those 67% do not agree with or won't choose to strike. Please do not believe any communication stating otherwise.

If they really felt that strongly then they would have voted "no" which they clearly haven't.

So the next step is eagerly awaited. The GEC meets tomorrow to decide what should happen next. Please watch this space and the PCS website for news as it happens.