Comments from the Strike

Why are you out on strike today?

I'm near pension age. The pension cuts will actually devastate my future. I'll be working six to eight years longer and I'll get less pension. I'm 57. I should be retiring at 60. I'll now be 66, 68?

We are being told to contribute more for less pension and made to work longer. On top of the pay freeze it's a triple whammy.

The government imposed a two year pay freeze, the cost of living keeps increasing - I now put £250.00 a month in petrol in the car to get to work - without a pay increase that keeps pace with inflation I have had to cut things like food. My kids don't understand why they cannot have the things they would like. It is simple, this government is destroying my standard of living and now they are coming for my pension. Enough is enough.

I am a teacher and feel my vocation to the job I love is being undermined by a government that has decided to attack its own employees.

In the MOD there are to be 25,000 job losses, the government ripped up the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, now its our Pension. Whats next?

The Government has been shown to have spun the issue of affordability over public sector pensions. I have contributed to my pension for ten years - now its value will be halved. It is unacceptable. Prehaps all those millionaire MP's in the Cabinet should have their pension and benefits taken off them.

My pension is being halved because the government says it is not affordable. The only gold plated pension scheme that I see is theirs. The MP's pension scheme is still RPI index linked; they can recieve a pension that we can only dream of. Talk about a bunch of hypocrits.

Public sector strike has huge impact

30 June 2011

The biggest co-ordinated public sector strike for a generation has been well supported across the UK with many courts, airports, jobcentres and tax offices closed or severely disrupted.

PCS members have joined three other unions holding national strikes over pensions – the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, the National Union of Teachers and the University and College Union. In some parts of the country council workers are also on strike over cuts.

Early indications show that 90% of PCS members in the Department for Work pensions are out on strike with many jobcentres severely disrupted and Sunderland jobcentre closed. Revenue and Customs workers have been out in force, with initial feedback suggesting 85% of HMRC staff across the UK have stayed away from work. Home Office reps indicate it is the best supported strike they have known, with many buildings in Liverpool closed or services severely affected. All national museums have been closed to the public in Wales. Crown, county and magistrates' courts across the UK are being disrupted.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: 

"This is the best supported strike we’ve ever had. The government made a lot of the fact that after the strike ballot it was clear civil servants didn’t support strike action, but today we can see that they have voted with their feet and sent a clear message to the government that they will not tolerate these attacks on their hard-earned pensions rights and will fight the cuts that threaten to devastate our communities and jobs.

It’s time for the government to engage properly; it has shown it is unwilling to move on any of the central issues that public sector workers will have to work up to eight years longer, thousands of jobs are at stake, lower pensions are set to cost three times as much, and pay is frozen while inflation soars. The change to pensions indexation to CPI will have a huge impact for many on post-retirement pension increases.

A DWP worker on £16,000 will lose about £150,000 over 20 years of retirement.

There should not be an equality of misery when it comes to pensions, the government is involved in a race to the bottom.

Pensions are affordable and the cost is falling. This government is forcing some of the most vulnerable people in our society to pay for a crisis that was not of their making.

There is an alternative to the government’s cuts to invest in public services, grow the economy and close the £120 billion tax gap."

Strike for the alternative

Jobs, pensions and pay

Don’t let them destroy our future

Their vision

• One in five jobs to be cut. Redundancy pay slashed
• Work to 68, pension changes meaning cuts of up to 50%
• Frozen pay as prices soar
• £80bn cuts and privatisation

Our vision

• No compulsory redundancies. Fair pay-offs for volunteers
• Pensions based on agreement made in 2005
• Pay to keep pace with inflation
• Investment in public services

Check pcs.org.uk for details of the action.

Together we can win

• Hundreds of thousands of PCS members and education staff are taking action together.
• For the first time a wider group of unions are co-ordinating their resistance, with firefighters, head teachers and health workers preparing to join future action.
• The government has already watered down its attacks on forests, coastguards and the health service because of public pressure.

There is an alternative to cuts

• £120 billion of tax is evaded, avoided and uncollected each year
• Revenue and Customs should employ more tax compliance officers – each one collects £658,000 annually
• Invest in projects like housing, renewable energy and public transport to boost the economy
• End the use of consultants.

It’s time to take a stand outside offices, schools, museums and other government buildings to defend public servants and public services from the attacks of the government and the media.

Let’s make sure everyone joins the union and joins in.

Support the strike for the alternative

· Get involved in your branch

· Join PCS

Stay in touch with PCS: visit pcs.org.uk, join the ‘PCS union members’ Facebook group, follow @pcs_union on Twitter

Find out how much you will lose on your pension

The government's proposed pension changes will mean millions of people having to pay more and work longer for less pension.

http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/pcs_comment/index.cfm/id/F7573F1C-70AA-4A82-A06E7D767F3FF9DA

This simple calculator gives you an estimate of what the government's proposed pension changes will cost you, both between now and your retirement, and after you retire. The calculator is based on information taken from the Hutton report on pensions and from government proposals.

• Paying more now - a doubling or tripling of contributions
• Working longer - raising the pension age from 60 to 65 and then to 68
• The impact of the change in inflation index (from RPI to CPI) on post retirement pension increases.
• For Nuvos members, the effect of lower accrual rates

Follow the links below and enter the following information into the spreadsheet.

• Your current pay (full-time equivalent for part-time staff)
• Your age
• Your length of pension scheme membership

PCS Members strike in My Civil Service Pension

MyCSP Members taking action to defend their jobs

PCS members in My Civil Service Pension (MyCSP) delivered an overwhelming vote to reject plans to privatise the business; under the guise of a ‘Mutual Joint Venture’.

So Much For ‘Employee-led’

When Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office Minister, cited the concept; he made it clear that Mutual Joint Ventures would not go ahead if the employees did not support it.

In a better than average turn-out for a postal ballot, PCS members in MyCSP voted more than 3:1 in favour of strike action; and much more than 4:1 in favour of action short of a strike – all in opposition to management’s plans to strip members of their Civil Service status.

  

Day of Action

Members previously in MOD at Cheadle Hulme walked out at noon on the 17^th June 2011. Their solidarity with their fellow members across MyCSP was magnificent and effectively brought MyCSP to a stand still.

It is absolutely clear from the ballot and action taken that no employee is in favour of MyCSP moving to a mutual and losing their civil service status.

PCS Seeks Negotiated Settlement

PCS have formally written to the Minister and to MyCSP management inviting them to recognise the overwhelming views of the workforce; and to enter into meaningful talks with the Union, in an attempt to reach a negotiated settlement. Disappointingly, management responded that their position was unchanged.

Why did you strike?

One member who took action on the 17^th June was asked why they had. They said “I worked for over twenty years for the MOD and was nervous when the concept of MyCSP was first put forward. I took some comfort that I was transferring to the DWP and remained a civil servant. After all the assurance we were given by management about our terms and conditions of service; they suddenly announced that we were being moved to a Mutual Joint Venture and that we would no longer be civil servants nor would we be entitled to remain in the civil service pensions schemes which we administer. It’s disgusting that we can be treated so shoddily and that promises made by ministers that mutualism would only go ahead with employee agreement are worth nothing. That’s why I voted yes in the ballot, why I am going home now and will continue supporting opposition to the Mutual Joint Venture”.

Danny Alexander proves talks are a farce

Responding to reports that Danny Alexander will later today announce the government will not change its mind on cutting public sector pensions, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said:

"We have been heavily criticised by the government for balloting for industrial action while talks are ongoing and yet Danny Alexander now appears to be admitting that ministers are not planning to change their minds.

This proves we were right when earlier this week we described the talks with the government as a farce. It's clear they had no intention of engaging in honest negotiations with us and it's clear it was the right decision for our members to vote for a strike.

Every expert who has looked at these issues recently, including the National Audit Office, has confirmed the changes we agreed just a few years ago put public sector pensions on a sustainable footing.

Not only are these cuts unnecessary, we believe they are deliberately provocative, calculated to stoke a confrontation with public servants, and this is a deeply irresponsible way for a government to act."

FDA reacts with fury to Treasury statement on public sector pensions

The FDA – the union for senior managers and professionals – reacted with fury today to comments trailing the speech being made to the IPPR by Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

 http://arctheunion.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/fda-reacts-with-fury-to-treasury-statement-on-public-sector-pensions/

Ministry of Defence accelerates redundancies

The Ministry of Defence is to double the number of civilian staff it makes redundant this year to 8,000. The move has prompted warnings that the back-offices to the armed services will be understaffed.

PCS had received private assurances just last month that the number of staff taking advantage of "early release schemes" would not be increased from the planned 4,000 for this year because it would be too risky considering the forces' commitments abroad and that an increase in funding was no available.

So why are Civil Servants opting to Now Going Home Redundant - because the Government is forcing its own employees onto the scrap heap as it is ideologicaly wedded to polcies of destroying public services.

 

It is clear that civilian staff working in the Ministry of Defence feel undervalued by their employer. Why else would they apply in such numbers when the Civil Service Compensation Scheme has been attacked and reduced in value by the ConDem government.

 

Since the Gershon review in 2004 tens of thousands of jobs have been cut from the civil service, resulting in a deterioration of services to the public. 

 

The Defence Cuts will undermine defence and threaten the front line.

 

The government will simply hoodwink the general public and instead of improving business delivery, outsource any remaining civilian work eventhough the risk to defence remains with the Ministry of Defence and in the medium term privatisation costs more money.

 

In fact civil servants have driven value for money in defence, but it is politicaly incovienient to highlight such facts. Military posts that simply fly an administrative desk should be undertaken by civilians.

 

Non Industrial Unions in the Ministry of Defence asked for a Civilian Charter to show that the department valued its civilian employees. This was rejected out of hand.

 

Almost half (48%) of civil servants are in admin grades where the average (median) pay in 2009 was £17,120 for women and £17,600 for men.

 

35,000 (7%) civil servants are paid less than £15,000 a year.

40.5% of civil servants - 210,000 people - are paid £20,000 or less. And 63% of civil servants - 330,000 staff - earn less than £25,000 a year.

Excluding the very highest earners, the average civil service pension is £4,200 a year.

More than 100,000 people receive a civil service pension of £2,000 or less a year: over 40,000 receive less than £1,000, and more than 60,000 get between £1,000 and £2,000.

If your employer continualy undervalues you, attacks your pensions, your pay and your terms and conditions. What would you do?