Thursday 25 October 2007

PCS recognition at Electoral Commission

AFTER almost two years of talks, the Electoral Commission’s chief executive, Peter Wardle, has signed a joint agreement with PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka giving the union full representational and negotiating rights.
Staff at the commission, which was founded in 2000, promote integrity and public confidence in the democratic process. They regulate party and election finance and set standards for well-run elections.
As the agreement was being signed off, the call went out for nominations from members for candidates to stand for branch positions. The outcome of these elections will be announced at the inaugural annual meeting on 8th November.
Welcoming the commission on board, Mark noted that these elections would probably be the most efficient and well run in the union’s history. He also thanked members for their perseverance and determination to win recognition.
PCS London and South East organiser Keith Johnston said: “This is an exciting day for staff in the commission. We have an enthusiastic and committed group of members here who are eager to get on with organising and representing their colleagues.
“Recognition allows them to now access full training with PCS and become part of the wider national union.”

Thursday 11 October 2007

Support the postal workers

OVER A 100,000 Royal Mail workers walked out for 48 hours last week bringing postal deliveries to a standstill and they did so again this week, demonstrating that the membership was right behind their union’s refusal to accept management’s attempt to link their miserable pay offer to a “flexibility” agreement that will reduce postal workers’ average earnings and considerably devalue their pension scheme. The rock-solid response of the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) membership has shocked management, which had spread scare stories that a strike would finish the union and the industry.
Despite management claims what postal workers make is still £80 a week below the national average. The current 6.9 per cent pay offer over two years is tied to “flexibility” changes without any guarantee of recompense or job security. The current pension scheme will close, reducing existing benefits and the retirement age will be raised from 60 to 65. Senior management is refusing to seriously negotiate with the CWU to settle the dispute. Now they’re churning out the “greedy workers” lie to turn the massive public sympathy for the strikers to justify management’s refusal to meet the CWU’s legitimate demands.
Down the years post workers have won concessions to cover the unsocial hours, shifts and public holiday work that they have to do to deliver the mail. Now it’s called “Spanish” or “restrictive” practices. When the head of Royal Mail gets a million a year – far more than even the Prime Minister gets – it’s called “competitiveness” and “good value”.
Gordon Brown bleats that the strike was disrupting people’s lives. “When we, the Government, are investing a huge amount of money in the postal services, it is not something that we can either condone or we can stand idly by and say it is an acceptable form of behaviour,” he says, adding: “I want these people back to work.”
Well, all he has to do is tell Royal Mail management to make a realistic response to the CWU’s demands. In the meantime the striking workers should receive all the trade union solidarity and public support they need to guarantee victory.

Scottish civil service face cuts

THE SCOTTISH government last week announced plans to cut jobs from 4,200 to about 3,600 – the lowest level since devolution, through a recruitment freeze.
The proposals came amid speculation that the Scottish Government’s block grant from London would be cut over the next three years.
The Public and Commercial Services Union said it was not surprised by the job cut plan, but promised to hold ministers to their promise of no compulsory redundancies.

Post workers set for more strikes

THOUSANDS of post workers employed by the Royal Mail have staged two 48-hour strikes within the last week and are set for further strikes throughout next week (starting 15th October) in their fight to defend pensions and working conditions. The strike was provoked by a below-inflation pay offer of 2.5 per cent and drastic changes to working conditions that, the union says, will lead to the loss of 40,000 jobs and a worsening postal service.
Workers will not know from day to day what job they will be expected to do when they arrive for work, nor what their hours will be from one day to another. The management calls this “flexible working”.
Furthermore cuts to the pension scheme mean that workers will lose up to £15,000 when they retire and the retirement age will rise from 60 to 65.
The first strike ran from midday on Thursday to midday on Saturday and the second began on Monday at midday and ran until the same time on Wednesday.
Talks at the weekend, hosted by the TUC, broke down. The CWU negotiators reported that real progress had been made in many areas, but there was agreement in none. The management offer included a pay increase of 6.9 per cent over two years but this is subject to linking unacceptable strings, including a reduction in pensions benefits.
Royal Mail’s proposals also included flexibility proposals that mean, among other things, that postal workers will not know what job they are doing from one day to the next. The CWU postal executive met to consider the offer and decided to continue with the strikes as planned.
Meanwhile the Royal Mail continues to implement change without agreement and the union has already announced more strikes. The CWU reports that support among its 130,000 members has been overwhelming.
CWU general secretary Billy Hayes said: “Royal Mail’s claims regarding the numbers of people at work are a poor attempt to detract from the truth that postal workers are rejecting their proposals in overwhelming numbers. They should stop using their efforts to spin and start putting them into reaching an agreement.”
He also commented on the failure of Royal Mail top bosses to attend the talks. “We are very disappointed that Allan Leighton and Adam Crozier are nowhere to be seen when the future of British postal services are at stake,” he said.
“The Government has shown complete disinterest in the fate of this dispute. If this was Northern Rock they would be pouring money in. This is a company that they own and they seem to have no interest whatsoever.”
On Monday the union held a mass rally in Trafalgar Square – and many members stayed on to support a major Stop the War rally immediately afterwards.
After last Monday’s strike, the CWU plans to stage a programme of rolling strikes each Monday until the dispute is resolved. Each CWU member has been asked to walk-out from the start of their shift.
The union’s deputy general secretary, Dave Ward, said the strikes were “a proportionate response to an employer that is completely out of control,” after five weeks of negotiations.
PCS sent a message of support from general secretary Mark Serwotka: “Dear Billy, I am writing to offer the full support and solidarity of PCS members for the strike by your members in Royal Mail starting today.
“In common with all public servants, your members work hard to deliver a vital public service. Attempts to unilaterally impose changes to working practices and low pay increases are making the delivery of those services more difficult. Vital public services are being placed at risk.
“In common with your members PCS members are also fighting to protect their living standards and working conditions. Like you we are determined that those who work hard to serve the public are paid a fair wage.
“Best wishes and good luck.”

Thursday 4 October 2007

Ballot for strike action

MEMBERS of the PCS civil service union working across the civil and public service last week began voting in a ballot for further national civil service strike action in an escalation of the union’s campaign against job cuts, below inflation pay and privatisation.
The ballot involving 270,000 members working in over 200 different Government departments, agencies and non departmental public bodies follows two strongly supported one-day national civil service strikes this year.
The decision to escalate the campaign comes against a backdrop of compulsory redundancies and deteriorating services due to job cuts in key areas such as tax and getting people back into work, as well as worsening pay conditions as the Government seeks to cut pay in real terms.
A quarter of the civil service earn £16,000 or less and just under half earn less than Britain’s average salary. The ballot also comes two days after compulsory redundancies were announced in the Wildlife Administration Unit of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The result of the ballot is expected to be announced on Tuesday 23rd October 2007. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka commented: “People delivering the essential services that we all rely on have grown increasingly angry as the services they deliver suffer due to job cuts and office closures. This anger has only been fuelled by the Government’s desire to cut wages in real terms with below inflation pay offers. This ballot marks an escalation in the campaign which could lead to further strike action hitting courts, tax offices, jobcentres and prisons.
“PCS has and continues to stand ready to negotiate with civil service management at any time. The Government and civil service management need to recognise that they can’t continue to bury their head in the sand and start negotiating an agreement with the union to resolve the dispute.”