DSG 20 March action briefing 1 - Austerity: The Battle Cry of the 1%

As our union prepares to take action on 20 March, never has the phrase, "We are all in this together" seemed more inappropriate. We have asked for talks on pay, pensions, jobs and terms and conditions, but ministers are imposing cuts and refusing to negotiate.

Background

This is the most serious dispute we have faced as a union. We must take action to force the government to negotiate a fair settlement with us – otherwise our living standards, our jobs, working conditions and pensions will continue to be cut.

In the Ministry of Defence, we are making some progress, albeit slowly with the department in our Fair Deal in Defence campaign. The national campaign and the Fair Deal campaign are interlinked so on Budget Day 2013, we are asking all defence sector group members to send a message to the government and our employers that we don’t accept the cuts and we want real negotiations and agreements to protect our rights.

The rich getting richer

Members will probably be aware by now of the staggering statistic that just 1 per cent of the world’s population owns 40 per cent of the world’s wealth, while 60 per cent have to share just 1.9 per cent of it.

In the UK, the top 10% of households are now 850 times wealthier than the bottom 10% according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). However, according to the ONS, the biggest gap between the rich and the poor is in pensions; the top 10% had built up pension savings averaging £742,000 compared to the bottom 50% of households had just £4,000 in pension savings. The average civil service pension is £4,200 per year.

The government response?

In total there are over 13,000 millionaires in the UK. A recent study by Unison regarding the government’s decision to cut the 50p rate of tax would give these millionaires an average of £97,884.62 next year.

At the other end of the spectrum the reviled ‘bedroom tax’, will further impoverish the poorest in our society by making them pay more because they have the audacity to live in social housing with an extra room.

What are the policies of austerity?

PCS members are already starkly aware of the austerity measures happening in this country - cutting and privatising public sector work, alongside pay restraint, pension cuts and attacks on our terms and conditions.

Alongside this we should now add to the list the proposed changes to employment and trade union legislation, which will be revised to empower employers at the expense of employees’ job security, wages, benefits, and trade union representation for those in work.

Using austerity to weaken the trade union movement

It is in the DNA of Tory led governments to try and weaken, if not break trade unions when they are in power. The last Tory government, led by Thatcher deliberately engineered a dispute with the miners, stockpiled coal, paid massive salaries to the police and as a result weakened the trade union movement for generations to come

It is not a coincidence that today’s austerity measures are aimed first and foremost at the public sector. The public sector is the UK’s most heavily populated unionised area. If our union, alongside others in the public sector can be broken into accepting austerity, sweeping aside the rest of the UK’s workforce in the pursuit of greed will be an easier task for the 1%. In short, austerity is a program of class war.

Time to fight back

Austerity is sold as the only available means of reducing the debt. However, there is plenty of money to take care of these financial imbalances. It is in the pockets of the wealthy and big business elites whose think tanks and politicians are, not coincidentally, the architects of austerity.

It is time to redress the balance and take a stand against the rich, wealthy and powerful that hide behind, but benefit from austerity.

Make that stand on 20 March

PCS members are now ‘all in this together’. Of course, we do our jobs to get paid and to look after our family, but as PCS members in the defence sector, we also do our job because we understand and support the need for the best possible support to our military on the front line.

As part of the Ministry of Defence, we get plenty of plaudits, but this is simply empty rhetoric and unfortunately the millionaires in the cabinet along with their friends in the right wing press and their billionaire backers care little about the first rate service we provide.

On 20 March, it is time to take action. It is now time for every PCS member in the Ministry of Defence to stand together and get fully behind our union. We have proven that when we stand together we can resist attacks from the employer and defend our jobs and terms and conditions. Make sure everyone where you are is in our union and is prepared to stand up and defend our entitlements and our jobs. A small sacrifice now can make a big difference.

Top judges use 'human rights' to protect their pensions

The wealthiest judges in the country are using human rights laws to challenge the Government over cuts to their gold-plated pensions worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

Judges have instructed top barristers to advise them on using human rights laws to sue Ministers who have reduced pensions in line with those paid to senior civil servants.

In the past, judges have not contributed to a pension that pays them half their former salary plus a lump sum pay-off. The changes will result in them contributing for the first time and paying tax on the income the pensions provide.

The government wants public sector workers to pay more into their pensions, work longer and retire with less. 
 
PCS members have rejected the government's proposals and are supporting a programme of action with other unions.

Perhaps the judiciary should join us in taking action.

Paras lose their parachutes

New cutbacks mean recruits will no longer be trained to jump

1. Parachute Regiment recruits will not undergo intensive training
2. Experienced soldiers will not do annual jumps to stay battle ready
3. Former officer and MP Dan Jarvis reveals plans to phase out parachuting
4. Army reduces size of parachute force on short notice to 80 men

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2290896/Army-chiefs-fury-Paras-lose-parachutes-New-cutbacks-mean-recruits-longer-trained-jump.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

They won't talk to us - So we must act

Action starts with budget day strike

After the successful Yes Yes vote, our programme of national industrial action will start with a strike on budget day on 20 March.

Meeting today our national executive agreed this will be followed by further walkouts, other forms of industrial action and protests over the next three months.

The campaign against cuts to pay, pensions and working conditions aims to put maximum pressure on ministers who are refusing to talk to us. It includes:

• All-day strike on 20 March to coincide with the budget, with rallies and demonstrations in key locations, including Westminster
• Further national and group strikes of varying durations, including half days and short walkouts, timed to have the greatest impact, with dates to be announced at a later date
• Industrial action short of a strike, including a national overtime ban until 20 June and disruptive action in groups
• Strike days interspersed with other protests and campaigning activities around specific themes

Consultation is now underway in groups on what forms and duration of action will be most effective.

Our national disputes committee will meet weekly to discuss progress and tactics, and any decisions on a second phase after June will be taken after our annual conference.

We will also continue to seek the widest possible co-ordination with other unions on pay and pensions.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka told the media: "This is not a one-day protest, this is the start of a rolling programme of walkouts and disruptive action to put pressure on a government that is refusing to talk to us."

Find out more about our national campaign

Read our media release about the ballot result

Email your MP to ask the government to talk to us

Fair Deal in Defence campaign update No 11 - It's time to stand up for our interests

Our union has been in substantive negotiations since the New Year with senior departmental officials to deliver a negotiated settlement that achieves a Fair Deal in Defence for all staff.

As part of the negotiations, our union identified a number of possible solutions for each of our campaign objectives and offered a potential framework agreement to achieve a negotiated settlement to our dispute. Our discussions identified a number of areas of possible agreement, including issues where the department believed that they might already have developed solutions through other initiatives.

To apply further pressure on the department to deliver a negotiated settlement, we commenced an overtime ban across the Ministry of Defence with effect from 9 January 2013. Branches have been policing this overtime ban, with picket lines appearing in key branches to help explain the importance of the action in support of our Fair Deal campaign.

We have been told that departmental officials have drafted a letter to our union, outlining their proposals to achieve a negotiated settlement to our dispute. We have further been told that their proposals have been shared with both PUS and the Secretary of State.

However our union has received no such letter, despite regularly hastening officials. We therefore need to significantly escalate our actions, to demonstrate to the department that we are serious about our demands and we are growing increasingly impatient for a solution.

We have therefore given notice to the Permanent Secretary that our union will be starting a work to rule from Saturday 9 March 2013, in addition to the overtime ban that will continue. Details of the proposed work to rule are attached as annex A. Further, detailed, briefings will be issued to members and branches on individual elements of the work to rule shortly.

Our union takes industrial action only where other options have failed to deliver. We hope that our notice of intended action will be enough to persuade officials to deliver a negotiated settlement, but we must stand ready to deliver action if they continue to drag their feet.

Our union has given notice to the department that we will commence a work to rule across the Ministry of Defence with effect from 9 March 2013. This will run alongside the existing departmental wide overtime ban, which will continue.

Work to rule actions will consist of:

With effect from 9 March – Take your proper breaks, including:

• Meal breaks
• Rest breaks
• Rest days
• Display screen equipment breaks

With effect from 16 March – Take your proper breaks, plus work your proper hours, including:

• Work only your conditioned hours per week
• End any opt out waivers under Working Hours regulations
• Go home at a reasonable time each day
• No travelling out of normal working hours
• Establish and maintain a proper work/life balance

With effect from 23 March – Take your proper breaks and work your proper hours, plus refuse to cover the work of others, including:

• Cover only the work of your post and work appropriate to your grade
• Refuse to accept additional tasks beyond your existing agreed objectives
• Refuse to accept objectives or tasks that you are not competent, trained or resourced to deliver

With effect from 30 March - Take your proper breaks, work your proper hours, refuse to cover the work of others, plus work rigidly to laid down instructions, including:

• Comply with any laid down rules or procedures

Detailed briefings on each of these elements will be sent to branches and members in advance of these dates.

We will also be working with branches to develop measures to ensure that these actions are effective across the department.

Regional liaison officers will be available to support branches in publicizing the importance of the work to rule in all workplaces and can answer questions or concerns as they arise.

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