The TUC now have a date for the national demonstration against the cuts, as the Royal Parks have confirmed that we can use Hyde Park on Saturday March 26th next year. Although we have yet to work out the full details of the route, we confidently expect that it will start on Victoria Embankment on the stretch between Temple and Embankment tube stations.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
PCS keeps up pressure on compensation scheme
The union continues to fight the proposed changes to the civil service compensation scheme (CSCS) by putting pressure on the government to improve its offer.
PCS is the largest union of civil servants, representing workers the majority of whom earn less than £22,000 a year. The coalition wants, through its superannuation bill, to limit compulsory redundancy payouts to 12 months pensionable earnings, and voluntary to 15 months, which we argue interferes with civil servants’ human rights.
PCS argues that the effect of the bill is to extinguish, in one measure, the right of the unions to bargain collectively in relation to the worsening of benefits under the CSCS, bringing to an end at once an intricate and cooperative tradition and practice going back several decades. At the same time, the government proposes to implement a new scheme which would change redundancy compensation for people below their normal pension age on their final day of service and leaving on compulsory terms to 12 months salary and voluntary terms to 21 months.
At a meeting of Council of Civil Service Unions representatives on Tuesday fresh proposals to put to Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude were discussed. The PCS national executive committee has agreed that if any further negotiations prove unsuccessful or if the Cabinet Office refuses fresh talks, there will be a membership ballot to seek members’ approval to reject the offer.
The bill was debated by a House of Lords committee yesterday, where the government emphasised it was anxious its attempts to introduce a new scheme should not be delayed by “continuing litigation”. The bill is expected to reach the report stage in the Lords within a fortnight and will then return to the House of Commons. PCS submitted legal evidence on the bill to the joint committee on human rights on Friday.
Ballots on the compensation scheme have been suspended in FDA and Prospect partly because of a legal issue. In Europe very recently there was a judgement that has implications for both state and occupational redundancy schemes which may have implications for compensation arrangements that limit payments to a person over normal pension age 60, or 65 for those who are members of Nuvos - who have joined the principal civil service pension scheme since 2007 and are not currently in the CSCS.
Welfare plans punish the vulnerable for government's failure
The government's plans to increase the sanctions on benefit recipients will do nothing to alleviate poverty without the creation of more jobs with decent pay, PCS says.
Responding to publication of the welfare reform white paper, the union says the coalition government is unfairly targeting unemployed people and seeking to punish them for the recession and a shortage of work.
Recent claims by work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith that people in Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales could 'get on the bus' to Cardiff to find work were immediately debunked by PCS, which pointed out that for every job vacancy in the city there were nine unemployed people.
Research by the union also showed the vast majority of job vacancies were temporary and part-time work, often doing unskilled jobs for just one or three weeks’ duration.
Increasing sanctions on jobseekers and forcing some to do voluntary work to qualify for benefits is unfair, the union says. It is also unfair to ask jobcentre staff, who are already overstretched because of cuts, to police decisions about who should have their benefits cut.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "This is part of an orchestrated campaign by ministers to portray some of the most vulnerable members of our society as the new ‘undeserving poor’ to persuade the public that some cuts are fair.
"Not only is this cruel, it is directly at odds with the fact the government has admitted half a million public sector workers are set to lose their jobs, with even more expected in the private sector."
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Thousands join march to support RAF Lossiemouth
Up to 7,000 people have taken part in a march and rally in support of the RAF base at Lossiemouth in Moray.
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and the leaders of the other three main parties at Holyrood were among those attending.
Actor Ewan McGregor has backed the campaign. His brother Colin used to be based at Lossiemouth. The Star Wars actor said closing it would "devastate" the local community.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise said RAF Kinloss supported 2,341 jobs on the base and in the wider community, and contributed £68m a year to the local economy.
The base at Lossiemouth supports a further 3,370 jobs and contributes £90.3m annually. It is home to four squadrons flying the Tornado, which is the UK's primary ground attack aircraft.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
MoD Civilian Covenant
Representatives from the unions: PCS, Prospect, GMB, and Unite marked the first day of new MOD Permanent Secretary, Ursula Brennan’s tenure by presenting her with a proposed civilian covenant.
Morale is at an all time low in the MoD as the department moves to cut 25,000 civilian jobs.
The unions want a civilian covenant on similar lines to the military covenant setting out a two-way commitment between the armed forces and the civilian staff who support them.
The MOD Civilian Covenant: Valuing the 4th Service
Loyalty and commitment: MOD civil servants shall remain totally committed to the Defence Aim; they undertake to strive for excellence in all of their roles but, in particular, in the support they give to the armed forces.
Valuing the 4th Service: the MOD shall enhance public understanding of the role of its civil service through inter alia a defined programme of public awareness briefings, and shall defend quickly, robustly and publicly its civil servants against ill-informed and unjustified attack from the media and politicians.
Job Security: the MOD shall make decisions on the basis of a clear understanding of what the department does and who it needs to do it. It shall plan its requirements on the basis of a proper assessment of the correct balance between contractors and its own staff and between military and civilian personnel. Staffing levels shall be managed in a sensitive manner with due regard to the dignity of employees.
Skills and careers: the MOD shall invest in the training and development of its staff, so as to improve the efficacy of its business and to enhance the productivity and job satisfaction of its staff through the maintenance of rewarding careers. Training and development activity should recognise the need to retain the MOD’s ‘intelligent customer’ capability through the maintenance of specialist skills and effective succession planning.
Recognition and reward: the MOD shall develop and maintain civilian pay and conditions which are fair and enable it to recruit and retain high quality staff. Specifically the MOD shall identify and provide additional reward to the specialists in its workforce who deliver an essential contribution to military capability.
Fair and effective management: the MOD shall establish and maintain a skilled and supportive line management chain, supported by logical and fair personnel management processes. The MOD shall encourage flexible working among its workforce, so as to enhance business efficiency and the achievement of work-life balance for staff.
Occupational health and welfare: the MOD shall ensure that its workplaces and its working practices comply with best practice when it comes to occupational health and safety; it shall invest in its business and thus ensure that staff have the facilities and equipment necessary to do an effective job. The MOD shall provide world class occupational health and welfare support for its civilian staff.
Change without trauma: the MOD commits to rational and transparent decision-making and meaningful consultation with a view to reaching agreement in change programmes, including the use of properly constructed Value for Money Benchmarks. It undertakes to do everything in its power to avoid enforced redundancies or relocations; and it aims to provide staff with the maximum choice about their future when work is privatised or contracted-out.
Dignity and respect: the MOD shall treat all of its employees with dignity, without bullying or harassment (or the fear of these) and with equality of opportunity. The MOD recognises the role of its union representatives in enabling staff to maximise their contribution to Defence.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
March & Rally in support of RAF Lossiemouth and the Local Community
Where: Meeting next to RAF Lossiemouth's Main Entrance then marching to Lossiemouth FC's ground where a rally will take place.
When: 07 November from 14:00 to 16:00
Spending cuts and VAT rise to cost 1.6m jobs
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has said the impact of the Spending Review had been understated: the cuts and the rise in VAT to 20% in January will result in more than 1.6 million job losses across the public and private sectors by 2016.
It predicts 725,000 public sector jobs will go - more than 100,000 higher than a government detailed plus some 900,000 private sector jobs will disappear.
The Treasury defended its spending cuts, saying: "The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has set out its forecast showing sustained economic growth in the years ahead, with employment rising and unemployment falling."
In its report, the CIPD said the private sector could create more than 300,000 jobs a year, but only if the economy grew faster than 2.5% on average a year.
Initial estimates show that the UK economy grew by 0.8% between July and September, and by 1.2% in the previous three months.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)