There is an alternative to Defence Cuts

PCS is fighting to defend jobs in defence and defence industries when the ConDEm coalition is destroying livelihoods that will undermine defence capability and communities.

Each year defence contributes on average £35bn to the economy, maintains over 300,000 direct jobs and through exports adds a further £5bn to the economy. 

Often located in remote areas of the UK any loss of employment will have devastating effects on the local communities where defence is a major employer. The threatened closure of two air bases – RAF Kinloss and RAF Lossiemouth – would devastate the local economy. Between them, RAF Kinloss and Lossiemouth contribute £158 million a year to the Moray economy and collectively support the equivalent of 5,710 full-time jobs within the region. Interestingly, Richard Murphy of the Tax Justice Network has revealed that 92 per cent of the cost of cutting public sector jobs when we have less than full employment is paid by the state, making it counter-productive economically.

MoD Civil Servants offer value for money in the jobs they do: repairing helicopters, jets, tanks and other equipment, making sure equipment is stored, administrated and looked after, transporting equipment and other supplies to where they are needed, administrating back office functions in support of the front line, cooking and cleaning on military bases to name just few vital roles.

The removal of large numbers of such roles means that equipment doesn't get repaired, stored or distributed as quickly as it should, contracts are not policed for value for money to the tax payer, organisational flexibility is destroyed and work overload becomes the norm.

Imagine the chaos and tragedies emerging from such a situation; it is unimaginable that the SDSR cuts will not impact on the front line.

The government appears incapable of listening to common sense or even the population that elected it. It is critical that alternatives to the SDSR and CSR cuts are put forward now and the ConDem coalition brought to account.

PCS is proposing that there is an alternative:

• There is no need for cuts to public services or further privatisations
• Creating jobs will boost the economy and cut the deficit. Cutting jobs will damage the economy and increase the deficit
• We should invest in areas such as housing, renewable energy and public transport
• The UK debt is lower than other major economies
• There is a £120 billion tax gap of evaded, avoided and uncollected tax
• The UK holds £850 billion in banking assets from the bailout – this is more than the national debt
• Civilianize Military jobs that could be done more cost effectively by civil servants
• End the use of consultants

Military police investigate £6bn privatisation deal

Military police have been called in to examine allegations of improper conduct during bidding for the £6bn privatisation of the search and rescue helicopter service.

http://blogs.ft.com/westminster/2011/01/exclusive-military-police-investigate-6bn-privatisation-deal/

Legal action gets a boost after overwhelming ballot result

Of more than 80,000 people who voted in a consultative ballot, 90% agreed with the union’s recommendation that the new civil service compensation scheme, which governs redundancy terms, should be rejected.

The union had previously informed the Treasury Solicitor of its intention to take a judicial review of the government’s decision to lay a new scheme in parliament, and it will launch proceedings next week. It has also called on the government to reopen negotiations to agree a new scheme that protects members’ rights.

PCS successfully overturned the previous government’s imposed cuts to the compensation scheme after proving in the High Court that it was unlawful to reduce rights that had accrued through length of service without the union’s agreement.

The new scheme removes the need for ministers to agree this or any future cut with its staff, meaning it can impose reductions at will. This, the union says, is a gross abuse of the government’s unique power as both employer and legislator.

The union’s case is that the cuts breach the European Convention on Human Rights. In November parliament’s human rights joint committee reported that the government had failed to make the necessary case for overriding civil servants’ rights.

In the same ballot, members also backed by 96% the union’s national campaign against cuts to jobs, pay, pensions and public services. PCS is working with other unions and community groups to co-ordinate campaigns, including possible industrial action and preparing for the TUC demonstration in London on 26 March.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Our members have sent a crystal clear message that they will not tolerate their contracts being ripped up simply to allow the government to slash jobs and public services. There is an alternative to the spending cuts which would see us invest in our future and target those wealthy individuals and organisations who go to great lengths to avoid paying tens of billions of pounds in taxes and starve our economy of vital revenue.”

PCS members have voted by a massive majority to back the union?s campaign against cuts to public services, jobs, pay and pensions.

In a national ballot 90% rejected changes to the civil service redundancy scheme – and 96% supported the union's national campaign, ‘There is an alternative’.

More than 80,000 people voted in the ballot – a turnout of 32%.

PCS starts a legal challenge next week.

The union has called on the government to reopen negotiations to agree a new scheme that protects members’ rights.

Meetings will be organised in workplaces covered by the CSCS so members can discuss the next stage of the campaign.

Across the country PCS branches are taking part in anti-cuts campaigns and putting forward the argument that there is an alternative to austerity.

And PCS members are urged to attend the trade union organised ‘March for the alternative’ on Saturday 26 March, with their friends and family.

March for the Alternative - London Saturday 26 March

The flagship demonstration against coalition government cuts is the March for the Alternative – organised by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) on Saturday 26 March. Details of transport are available from this page.

Protestors from all over the UK will gather at 11am at the Victoria Embankment, London, WC2N 6NL.

There will be a march to Hyde Park for a rally.

The TUC is the umbrella organisation for trades unions in Britain.

Coaches and special trains are being chartered from the four corners of country to take trades unionists and their supporters to London.

PCS members are urged to attend with friends and family – to oppose the massive attack on jobs and working conditions being faced across the union.

A big demo will rattle the government and give working people a glimpse of their strength and the confidence to take the battle forward – with co-ordinated strikes if necessary.

• For more details of the day’s events see the TUC’s web page.
• For details of the nationwide campaign against the cuts see the trade union sponsored False Economy website.

Why austerity is a bad move for the UK economy

Watch Mark Blyth, professor of International Political Economy at Brown University and faculty fellow at its Watson Institute for International Studies, explain why public debt is not the same as private in a short film that is both clear and entertaining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmsjGys-VqA&feature=player_embedded

Professor Blyth is writing "Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea," forthcoming from Oxford University Press in 2011.

Disability benefit cuts 'could breach law'

Plans to cut disability benefits could breach human rights laws, the government has been warned.

Disability lawyer Mike Charles told the BBC the moves could be unlawful if they denied individuals the right to quality of life.

 

Mr Charles said: "The human rights act says individuals have a right to family life, have a right to a quality of life, the whole purpose of the DLA is to put them on an equal playing field with everyone else.

"Any proposal that fails to appreciate those fundamental rights could find it is an infringement of the law.

"My view is even if its not against the letter of the law, it is against the spirit of the law."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12141725