Thank You All For Your Support

Your Branch Committee would like to thank you all sincerely for your support for the industrial action this week. The support was as strong as the last action in December, showing how strongly you all feel about the derisory pay offer that has been imposed on us all.

Do not forget that an overtime ban is now in place for two weeks. Working overtime undermines the action that we have taken and sends false messages as to how much we are willing to do for an hourly wage which is lower than we all deserve.

Everybody needs a weekend off to refresh our batteries so we can work to our potential during the normal working week, and certainly everybody deserves the long break that the Easter holidays provide for us.

Your Group Executive Committee will shortly be writing to you to thank you for your support and giving more information on the campaign

PLEASE SUPPORT THE OVERTIME BAN

Health and Safety Reps

We are looking to recruit more health and safety reps within the branch. Health and safety reps play a key role in ensuring that staff are looked after properly and that managers adhere to DWP Health and Safety guidance and we are concerned that several sites do not have a trained rep on site.

Health and safety reps only deal with issues regarding health and safety. They would not be expected to handle disciplinary cases or negotiate with managers on behalf of members. We have several experienced reps in place, so we would ensure that any new reps received all the support and help that they need.

There are plans for a PCS Health & Safety course in the near future. If you are interested in becoming a rep please let me or one of the other reps know.

New Faces

We are pleased to announce that we have two new reps, both from Corby Debt Centre.

Caroline Henderson was elected as a site rep in a ballot held in the run up to the Annual General Meeting. After years of the branch committee being dominated by middle aged, white,(overweight?) males (and yes I include myself in that category) it is great to see young enthusiastic members like Caroline taking a more active role. Without young activists coming through the branch, indeed the union, will not be able to thrive in the future.

Joanne Rhoden has also taken up the role of a Health and Safety rep. Her extensive health and safety training and experience is a real boost to the branch and to the members in Corby Debt Centre. We are really pleased to have her on board.

Sadly however we have lost the services of Paul Cross, who has been a site rep at Corby for the last year. He no longer feels that he can stay on as a rep, but we are grateful for the numerous personal cases he undertook and the excellent recruitment work that he did.

Strike Days Announced

Two further days of industrial action have been announced after further talks with management about the imposed pay offer broke down. On the 17th and 18th March PCS members across DWP will refuse to go to work to show their outrage at this frankly scandalous pay offer.

For many long serving staff this pay imposition equates to a mere 1% per year for the next three years. With the Retail Price Index showing that the cost of living has increased to above 4% the truth is that all we have been offered is a year on year pay cut.

Some members feel that we should have gone ahead with the proposed strike on 31st January. However if PCS had refused to enter into further discussions with the Treasury, it would look as if we were not serious about trying to reach an agreement. Since management failed to offer anything new during these talks it is now obvious which side really wanted to make these talks work.

Other members feel that we should be taking any strike action at all. Members know that by taking part in a strike that they will suffer financially at the end of the month. But failiure to fight this pay cut in real terms, would be resigning youself and your colleagues to suffering financially every month for the next three years. And for anyone approaching retirement in the next few years this pay cut will affect their pension forever.

The unions strength lies in its' membership. Managers at local and national level discuss and negotiate with PCS officials because they represent three quarters of their workforce. Non members, even those who boast about crossing picket lines, often turn to reps for help or advice when they have a problem themselves. Why? Because they know that the union does have influence.

Every single member has influence. The decision made by every single member on 17th and 18th March is crucial. Everyone who crosses the picketline is saying that they are happy to do more and more work for less money. They are saying that the announced 12,000 jobs loses in the next three years is ok with them.

I have been asked if I think we can win this fight. Honestly, I believe we can. We can if you the members are prepared to fight. But if we chose not to fight, then we have already lost.

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!