Kez
29th January 2004, 16:15
February Socialist Appeal (http://www.socialist.net/html/civil_service_strike.html)
Civil servants in biggest strike for 17 years
Stop Press
The action by civil servants in the DWP has been suspended for two-week period while the union discusses an improved offer that has been made by the government. The offer includes an additional 2.95% pay rise, this would be implemented in May, backdated to April, and changes to the Performance Development System grievance process. It also appears that the a similar offer has been made to the 4 other sectors who are taking action, which are the Department of Constitutional affairs, the Home Office, the Prison Service, and the Treasury Solicitors. The offer will be thrashed out with the employers, and discussed within the union before a decision is made on how to proceed with the action.
Rachel Heemskerk
Branch President PCS DWP Essex, Personnel capacity
Civil Servants in the PCS (Public and Commercial Services Union) in the Department for Work and Pensions, which covers the Pension Service and Jobcentre Plus, voted to take strike action on 29th and 30th January.
The vote for strike action followed the imposition by the Government of a pay increase of 3.7% during November after 40,000 union members voted to reject the offer.
The 61% vote in favour of strike action shows a firm rebuke of the management's decision to impose the first stage of their offer. Members have seen through the management spin, realising that the offer does not honour the expectation given last year to give a fixed system to shorten the time taken to reach the maximum paid to a grade. Instead the time taken has actually increased.
Management have backed them into a corner by imposing a deal which effectively means anyone on their maximum, which is nearly 50% of the lowest paid staff, will receive no pay rise in real terms.
The pay offer is made up of "bonus payments" and has cost some £22 million in non-consolidated salary payments, money that cannot now be re-directed towards funding a fair basic pay increase.
It is becoming increasingly clear that DWP staff and those in the other departments who have also voted for strike action are being expected to pay for New Labour's war on Iraq which has cost £10 billion more than the Government budgeted for. This will lead to cost cutting in education, health care and the derogatory pay offer to Civil Servants.
Members of PCS, having voted last year for a left unity Executive on a platform of a return to national pay bargaining, have now voted across five departments to join in a fight on pay and the 29th and 30th January will see the biggest strike within the Civil Service since 1987 with 1000's of striking Government employees. The strike will cause disruption to Courts, benefit payments and Jobcentres.
The industrial action in the DWP coincides with action by workers in other sectors of the Civil Service for a national pay scale, and is the product of the increasingly militant outlook among ordinary members. Anger has built up over years of constant attacks and tinkering with terms conditions, and working practices. This mood has exploded in the past with smaller strikes in various sectors over the last few years and has seen a big swing to the left first in the General Secretary election, and subsequently in the Executive elections.
The left stance of our leaders, combined with the mood of the membership is bringing us into collision with Blair and his agenda for public pay. This action will not be the end of the pay campaign as Gordon Brown has already laid down the challenge by saying, "We beat the FBU and will not back down on Civil Service pay". Members must be prepared for a hard battle ahead in the PCS campaign for a national pay framework across Government Departments in order to ensure fair pay for all.
Civil servants in biggest strike for 17 years
Stop Press
The action by civil servants in the DWP has been suspended for two-week period while the union discusses an improved offer that has been made by the government. The offer includes an additional 2.95% pay rise, this would be implemented in May, backdated to April, and changes to the Performance Development System grievance process. It also appears that the a similar offer has been made to the 4 other sectors who are taking action, which are the Department of Constitutional affairs, the Home Office, the Prison Service, and the Treasury Solicitors. The offer will be thrashed out with the employers, and discussed within the union before a decision is made on how to proceed with the action.
Rachel Heemskerk
Branch President PCS DWP Essex, Personnel capacity
Civil Servants in the PCS (Public and Commercial Services Union) in the Department for Work and Pensions, which covers the Pension Service and Jobcentre Plus, voted to take strike action on 29th and 30th January.
The vote for strike action followed the imposition by the Government of a pay increase of 3.7% during November after 40,000 union members voted to reject the offer.
The 61% vote in favour of strike action shows a firm rebuke of the management's decision to impose the first stage of their offer. Members have seen through the management spin, realising that the offer does not honour the expectation given last year to give a fixed system to shorten the time taken to reach the maximum paid to a grade. Instead the time taken has actually increased.
Management have backed them into a corner by imposing a deal which effectively means anyone on their maximum, which is nearly 50% of the lowest paid staff, will receive no pay rise in real terms.
The pay offer is made up of "bonus payments" and has cost some £22 million in non-consolidated salary payments, money that cannot now be re-directed towards funding a fair basic pay increase.
It is becoming increasingly clear that DWP staff and those in the other departments who have also voted for strike action are being expected to pay for New Labour's war on Iraq which has cost £10 billion more than the Government budgeted for. This will lead to cost cutting in education, health care and the derogatory pay offer to Civil Servants.
Members of PCS, having voted last year for a left unity Executive on a platform of a return to national pay bargaining, have now voted across five departments to join in a fight on pay and the 29th and 30th January will see the biggest strike within the Civil Service since 1987 with 1000's of striking Government employees. The strike will cause disruption to Courts, benefit payments and Jobcentres.
The industrial action in the DWP coincides with action by workers in other sectors of the Civil Service for a national pay scale, and is the product of the increasingly militant outlook among ordinary members. Anger has built up over years of constant attacks and tinkering with terms conditions, and working practices. This mood has exploded in the past with smaller strikes in various sectors over the last few years and has seen a big swing to the left first in the General Secretary election, and subsequently in the Executive elections.
The left stance of our leaders, combined with the mood of the membership is bringing us into collision with Blair and his agenda for public pay. This action will not be the end of the pay campaign as Gordon Brown has already laid down the challenge by saying, "We beat the FBU and will not back down on Civil Service pay". Members must be prepared for a hard battle ahead in the PCS campaign for a national pay framework across Government Departments in order to ensure fair pay for all.