PCS Defence Sector group consultative ballot extended after the announcement to attack current terms and conditions of service

Consultative ballot extended to 25^th October

Following publication of the attack on our terms and conditions by the Cabinet Office, the group has decided to extend our consultative ballot to allow all members to express a view on this disturbing new development.

The ballot will therefore now close at noon on 25^th October.

Bonfire of our terms and conditions

This week the Guardian newspaper published details of a leaked letter to HR directors instructing them to ‘review’ all our terms and conditions, to compare them against what is described as benchmark information from ‘good, modern employers’.

The letter identifies those terms and conditions immediately under threat as:

·       Annual leave	·       Relocation
·       Privilege leave	·       Subsistence
·       Occupational sick pay	·       Advances of pay
·       Hours of work	·       Probation
·       Flexitime	·       Mobility
·       Part-time working and job sharing	·       Allowances
·       Compressed hours working	·       Season ticket advance
·       Homeworking	·       Volunteering
·       Term-time working	·       Adult further education
·       Childcare	·       Eye Tests
·       Parental leave	·       Reward Vouchers
·       Excess hours, weekends and travelling time	·       Legal representation at public expense

There has been no consultation or engagement with the trade unions at either national or departmental level on these proposals.

However we know that the department has engaged Deloitte consultants, at massive expense, to tabulate MoD terms and conditions as part of the ‘review’.

No details of what makes a ‘good, modern employer’ have been provided; nor has the benchmark information been supplied to inform any debate.

As well as attacking terms and conditions, the following policies are to be ‘reviewed’:

·       Travel and expenses	·       Gifts and Hospitality
·       Conduct and discipline	·       Major Disruption to Travel
·       Grievance and dispute	·       Redeployment
·       Performance management	·       Special Leave
·       Managing poor performance	·       Vacancy Filling
·       Attendance Management	·       Whistleblowing
·       Apprenticeships	·       Work Experience

When is a ‘review’ not a review?

It is clear that this attack on terms and conditions is part of the wider vendetta against civil servants launched by Frances Maude. No one expects the ‘review’ to recommend improvements to terms and conditions, even though it can be argued that our overall working conditions have diminished substantially since 2010.

Instead, like the cuts to our pension provision and the pay freeze, it is the start of another race to the bottom where civil servants will be vilified and demonised for expecting fair treatment, fair recompense and respect at work.

Polices that have successfully diversified our workforce and allowed many to remain in work despite personal difficulties will be torn up and replaced by a harsher, crueller regime where everyone will be expected to subsidise their employers business and be grateful for the occasional crumbs from the top table.

It’s time to fight back

Our union’s Fair Deal campaign offers an opportunity to start the fight back. Senior management know that both service and civilian morale is at rock bottom, which is having a growing impact on support to the front line. If we stand firm against attacks on our terms and conditions and take action to defend them, then they will have to respond positively to our agenda and push back against the Cabinet Office cuts.

Make your voice heard

Please make sure that you vote in the consultative ballot, which now closes on 25^th October and have ‘Your Say’ in the attitude survey, which closes on 31^st October.  Make it clear that our working conditions matter and will not be lost without a fight.