Given how damaging the expenses crisis was in 2009, many will be shocked to learn that MPs are attempting to block the publication of information that appears to be a cover up of a loophole which allows MPs to pocket extra expenses cash by renting out their homes to one another.
Before the last crisis hit the headlines the Speaker at the time blocked publication of addresses of MPs who were involved in claims. This made it impossible to identify those who were 'flipping' their second homes. However, someone leaked the details to the Telegraph.
Taxpayers will wonder why MPs are taking advantage of the loophole not to cover legitimate expenses but to profit at their expense. Though technically within parliamentary rules, MPs have to know what a dim view their constituents will take of what is effectively profiteering.
Would you trust our politicians?
Friday, 19 October 2012
Thursday, 18 October 2012
Minister Francis Maude Left Red-Faced After Civil Servants Protest Against His Visit
Cabinet minister Francis Maude was left red-faced on Thursday after scores of civil servants walked out in protest over his visit to their offices.
The Public and Commercial Service (PCS) union said around 200 of its members at HM Revenue and Customs offices in Coventry took part in the 15-minute walkout to protest against ideologically driven attacks on the civil service by this government.
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
Marching against Austerity - Join us of the 20th October
It was Edmund Burke, the Irish political philosopher who said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that
good men do nothing.” This government is not evil – there is more than enough
of that in the world – however, they are deliberately malicious, provocative
and spiteful.
George Osborne again says
that we are all in this together, but then why isn’t he tackling the huge tax
avoidance of major US companies, such as Amazon, Google, Facebook and
Starbucks, that have paid just £30M tax on sales of £3.1B over the last four
years?
Let’s look at the facts –
Jobs
The SDSR proposed to take
out 25,000 civilian jobs by 2015, with that total rising to 32,000 by 2020.
When the defence secretary said earlier this year that the department had
balanced its books, it was on the premise that the 32,000 job cull would in
fact be done by 2015.
It is now almost exactly two
years since the SDSR announcement but such is the haste to deliver these
arbitrary job targets, that more than 20,000 civilian staff have left the MoD.
Our union knows that this has had a devastating impact on our ability to
support the front line, but ministers and senior departmental officials seem to
be in denial about this.
Here is just one example of
how the cuts are hurting. Francis Maude announced at the recent Conservative
party conference a short, sharp ‘review’ of all civil service terms and
conditions (code for making further wholesale cuts). Across Whitehall, HR teams
from every civil service department are now examining their own department’s
terms and conditions. But in the MoD, we
do not have the HR personnel left in the department to undertake this type of
work.
According to the
department’s own VERS 2 analysis, there were 1,950 people working in Human
Resources at 1 April 2012. This number is already substantially down after VERS
1. The MoD made VERS 2 offers to 292 of their HR personnel – approx 15%.
In the business case to
support a bid for external assistance for Deloittes to undertake the review of
our terms and conditions, it stated, “Resourcing Ts and Cs work within HRD
could only be achieved with a corresponding detrimental impact on one of those
equally high priorities, which is self-defeating.”
In other words, we no longer
have the resources, i.e. the staffing levels to carry out this work. The
business case estimated the costs to be –
- Phase 1 -
£46,499.00 (ex VAT), representing 47 days support at an average cost of
£989.34 per day.
- Phase 2 -
£256,610.00 (ex VAT), representing 260 days support at an average cost of
£986.96 per day.
Across the Ministry of
Defence, external spending rose by 24.46% between financial year 2010-11 to
financial year 2011-12. As MoD jobs are lost, there is little doubt that, as
evidenced by the figures above, the private sector are profiting.
This week, The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/oct/15/mod-military-arms-firms)
has looked further into the role played by ex military and ex senior MoD
officials.
On Saturday, we ask that you
march to save your job, the jobs of your colleagues and the jobs of all public
sector workers. The jobs that disappear are jobs that could go towards helping
the growing army of unemployed youth. Young people are being put on the scrap
heap before their working lives have even begun. This is economic madness.
Pay
In the last week, we have
yet again seen the deregulated energy companies hike their prices up by several
times the rate of inflation. The government response – almost deafening
silence; although they have now ‘promised’ to formulate a policy
for dealing with the UK's future energy demands.
However a spokesman for the
Department of Energy and Climate Change said: "Households facing rising
energy bills this winter aren't going to be helped by more inquiries or
investigations that could take years to complete and implement.”
We couldn’t have put it
better ourselves. We have already had two years of pay freezes in the MoD and
now face what looks like an indefinite period of pay restraint. You can find
out how this is impacting you by using our updated calculator at: www.pcs.org.uk/austeritycalculator.
Members have already told us at meetings how their living standards have
declined by between 19% and 30% and are worried that this gap will undoubtedly
rise as the Government’s austerity cuts accelerate.
On Saturday, we ask that you
are on the streets of London, Glasgow and Belfast to let this coalition
government see what their pay restraint and austerity programme are doing to
your standard of living.
Pensions
Every MoD civil servant is
now paying more for a pension that will be worth substantially less when they
are eventually able to retire. However, the pain and unfairness does not stop
there.
The increase in April this
year of around 3.2% was but the first instalment.
Similar increases in
contributions will take place in April 2013 and April 2014, although their
impact is unlikely to be cushioned again by further reductions in National
Insurance contributions. Couple this with the rise in the old age pension of a
measly £2.69 a week next year and it is not hard to
work out that public sector workers not only face declining living standards
now, but will also face more of the same in their retirement.
Ros Altmann, director-general of Saga said
this week, “In the past, pensioners have had to choose between heating or
eating. It looks like, in the coming months, they will struggle to afford
either.”
On Saturday, demonstrate that not only should
public sector workers retain decent and proper pensions, but all retired
workers must be given a fair and equitable old age pension that allows them a
quality standard of living and dignity in retirement; not one where stark
choices have to be made.
Terms and
Conditions
As mentioned above, not
content with slashing public sector jobs, pay and pensions, this government is
now attacking our terms and conditions of service that have been negotiated by
our predecessor unions.
Included in the attack
are:
- Hours
- Leave
- Flexitime
- Childcare
- Volunteering
- Vacancy
filling
- Attendance
management
Changes to part-time
working and attacks on flexitime are likely to hit women and those with caring
responsibilities the hardest. They are already bearing the brunt of the cuts
and these changes will make it even harder for them to stay in work and to earn
a living wage.
On Saturday, stand up
and be counted and demonstrate that it is impossible to separate this assault
from the government's wider political project to unpick the welfare state.
Conclusion
The following was written by a member of the national Union of
Journalists and sums up perfectly why we should all be marching on Saturday, 20
October –
“I believe that we as a society need to fundamentally re-think our
principles and priorities. The crash of 2008 was an accident waiting to happen,
a damning indictment of an economic model that is based on selfishness and
greed, and not solidarity, companionship, co-operation and mutual help.”
“I want to live in a society where the highest aims of the most
successful isn’t to be as wealthy as possible, but to be judged on how we use
our talents for the good of all: a society where paying tax isn’t to be avoided
but to be celebrated as a way of making the world a nicer place; a society
where all war is seen as civil war, all fighting fratricide; a society where
the young are given the tools to fulfill their potential, and older people are
treated with respect and their contribution through their lives is both
celebrated and honored by allowing them dignity and security.”
“I want to live in a society where we respect our environment and stop
poisoning our world for profit. I want to live in society where those who are
ill are helped, and no one makes a profit out of others misfortune. That is why
I am marching on October 20th.”
You will undoubtedly have your own reasons to be concerned about the
government’s austerity programme and their attacks on our pay, terms and
conditions. Together we can make a difference and can demonstrate not only that
there is an alternative but that alternative must start now.
It’s not too late to join us on the
streets of London, Glasgow or Belfast on October 20 to march for a better
society and say No to Austerity. Find out about transport arrangements from
where you live at: http://falseeconomy.org.uk/oct20
and join us on the day.
We can guarantee that it
will be fun and that you will meet a lot of people just like you marching for
their own reasons. If you do make it, take pictures of your day and tell us why
you were marching. Tweet us @defencecutscost, or email mod@pcs.org.uk to tell us your story.
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
I know why I'm marching on the 20th October 2012
In addition to raiding your pension and freezing your pay, the government is now mounting unprecedented attacks on your terms and conditions.
The Cabinet Office has asked every civil service department to review all terms, conditions, policies and practices - essentially all the things you rely on to manage your working lives.
Watch and share the video opposing the assault on your terms and conditions.
Included in the attack are:
• Hours
• Leave
• Leave
• Flexitime
• Childcare
• Volunteering
• Vacancy filling
• Attendance management.
• Childcare
• Volunteering
• Vacancy filling
• Attendance management.
Changes to part-time working and attacks on flexitime are likely to hit women and those with caring responsibilities the hardest. They are already bearing the brunt of the cuts and these changes will make it even harder for them to work and earn a living wage.
Amid an imposed pay freeze, and cuts to pensions and redundancy terms, the Cabinet Office now wants to undermine some very basic working conditions that any decent employer should offer.
It is impossible to separate this assault from the Tory-led government's wider political project to unpick the welfare state and drive down pay, conditions and employment rights across the economy, and we are determined to oppose it at every step.
Even the International Monetary Fund now admits that austerity is becoming counter-productive, instead of falling the UK budget deficit has risen by 22% this year.
PCS will resist changes to terms and conditions and the government’s wide-ranging cuts. On Saturday in London, Belfast and Glasgow tens of thousands of our members are marching against austerity, alongside hundreds of thousands of colleagues from other unions and community groups.
The union's leaders are meeting this week to consider our response which is bound to include talking to the other unions, raising the attacks on terms and conditions with the Cabinet Office and government ministers, in parliament through our parliamentary group, and with every civil service department.
If you are angry about these changes you should:
• March against austerity on 20 October – pcs.org.uk/20oct
• Recruit a colleague to the union – pcs.org.uk/join
• Use the austerity pay calculator – pcs.org.uk/austeritypay
• Read and share the PCS Guardian Comment is Free terms and conditions article.
Together we can defend the civil service and defeat the cuts.
Sunday, 14 October 2012
Friday, 12 October 2012
PCS Defence Sector group consultative ballot extended after the announcement to attack current terms and conditions of service
Consultative ballot
extended to 25th 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 25th 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
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