Saturday 13 December 2008

Anger at HMRC cuts

PCS last week condemned an announcement by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to go ahead with the closure of 93 offices across Britain and the loss of over 3,400 jobs by 2011.
With the economic picture growing ever bleaker, the union warned that the closures would be bad for business, the public and the taxpayer and would lead to the loss of valuable skills and expertise.
The union expressed deep concern that the ability of the department to collect revenues and provide tax advice to the public and local businesses would be further undermined by the closures.
Services are already suffering in HMRC with a drive to axe 25,000 jobs and close over 200 offices, leading to backlogs of post and reports that the department can only chase up those who owe £20,000 or more in tax due to a lack of resources.
Around 17,000 jobs have already been cut since March 2004 and the union fears that skilled and experienced staff will effectively be forced out of a job as they will be unable to relocate or travel to their nearest office.
The office closures breakdown as follows:• Eastern region - 18 offices to close and 800 jobs to go.• South West region – 19 offices to close and 835 jobs to go.• Yorkshire and Humber region – 9 offices to close and 400 jobs to go.• Northern Ireland – 5 offices to close and 190 jobs to go.• Scotland – 20 offices to close and 400 to go.• Wales – 11 offices to close 470 staff to go.• North West region – 11 offices to close.
Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “In these uncertain economic times, these closures and job losses will hit businesses, the public and the communities they serve.
“Rural areas will be disproportionately hit with face to face tax advice reduced to a bare minimum and quality jobs taken out of local economies.
“As the recession worsens this will come as a bitter blow to a dedicated workforce and will lead to a loss of valuable knowledge and expertise.
“Job cuts are already damaging the ability of HMRC to function and undermining public confidence in the department.
“Office closures and job cuts will do nothing to tackle the £21.5 billion worth of uncollected tax and £25 billion lost through tax evasion.
“The Government has to recognise that the erosion of public confidence can only be halted by having enough civil and public servants with the right resources to do the job.
“As the recession deepens and people become more reliant on public services, the department and the government should stop adding to the growing number of unemployed and call a halt to the office closure and job cuts programme.”

Welfare for All!

THE LEADERSHIPS of several unions last week joined forces to call for support for a joint statement to oppose the Government’s attacks on welfare benefits and to demand welfare for all. The statement said: “The welfare state is one of the UK’s greatest achievements and supports us all especially vulnerable and unemployed people and their families.
“In July the government published the Green Paper No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility announcing plans to change the current provision of support.
“Many of the plans were unacceptable when they were first published and the worsening economic situation should lead to a fundamental rethink.
“However the Government is pressing ahead despite the current global economic downturn which is leading to increasing levels of unemployment. As a result we have come together.
“The Government’s proposals remove entitlements and fail to value the important work of parents and carers. Parents with young children, carers, sick, disabled, people with mental health problems and other vulnerable groups face tougher tests to qualify for benefits. If they fail they could be cut off with no support.
“We are opposed to the abolition of Income Support which ends the principle that those in need deserve help. We are opposed to compulsory work for benefits. People should be paid the rate for the job or at the very least be paid the national minimum wage.
“Jobseekers Allowance is shockingly low at less than £10 a day, if it had increased in line with earnings over the past 30 years the rate for a single person over the age of 25 would be more than £100 a week.
“The Government wants more of the welfare state to be handed over to the private sector. It is wrong to profit from the sick and unemployed. There is also the intention to share information with the police which raises real concerns about civil liberties.
“We want voluntary skills training and life long learning opportunities for unemployed people. The Government should focus on ensuring that there is more support to access jobs that have fair pay and decent conditions with a guarantee that when people cannot seek work they will not face poverty.
“The Government should introduce positive measures to challenge discriminatory attitudes held by employers, encourage flexible working practices and expand the provision of affordable childcare.
“We want the Government to rethink its plans. Support our campaign to help create a better welfare state and society.” It was signed by: Mark Serwotka - general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS); Paul Kenny – general secretary of the GMB union; Sally Hunt – general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU); Jeremy Dear – general secretary of National Union of Journalists (NUJ); John Corey – general secretary of the Northern Ireland Public Services Alliance; Katie Curtis – national women’s officer, National Union of Students (NUS); Ama Uzowuru – vice president welfare, National Union of Students (NUS); Colin Hampton – national unemployed centres combine; Eileen Devaney – national co-ordinator of the UK Coalition Against Poverty; Iman Achara – director of British Black Anti-Poverty Network; Peter Kelly – director of The Poverty Alliance Scotland; Frances Dowds – director of the Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network Miranda Evans – policy and public affairs manager at Disability Wales – and many others.

Friday 5 December 2008

PCS news round-up

Remploy rally in York

HUNDREDS of trade unionists braved the weather and took to the streets of York last Saturday to demonstrate against Government plans to close a local Remploy factory, job centres and post offices.
These are the three most important issues facing workers in the area. The unions GMB Unite, Community, PCS and CWU organised the protest to call on the Government to rethink its policies on welfare reform, the employment of disabled people and the provision of our Royal Mail Services.
North Yorkshire has seen the closure of 22 post offices and hundreds of job cuts, including the loss of 50 disabled workers’ jobs at York’s Remploy factory.
The campaigners also protested at proposals to close and privatise job centres.
York Labour MP Hugh Bayley joined trade union members on the march from Museum Gardens to a rally at the Royal York Hotel.
Speakers included GMB general secretary Paul Kenny, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka, CWU general secretary Billy Hayes, GMB manufacturing national secretary Phil Davies, Unite national secretary Julia Long, GMB regional secretary for Yorkshire Tim Roache, GMB national Remploy convenor Less Woodward and Hugh Bayley MP.
“The closure of Remploy York on the 6th March 2008 effectively blocked opportunity for disabled people in the York and surrounding areas to find sustainable work,” said Paul Kenny. “GMB will not allow this is important issue to be forgot or ignored.
“The voice of disabled workers will get louder and louder as time goes on and GMB will make sure it is listened to by Government and Councils alike.”
Mark Serwotka said: “In these uncertain times, the closure of job centres in and around York will make it more difficult to find work and restrict access to an essential service when it is needed the most.
“Added to this is the privatisation of parts of Jobcentre Plus, which will see a workforce who have consistently outperformed the private sector, replaced by a private sector ethos that is governed by the profits of the few rather than the needs of the many.”
Billy Hayes said: “The closure of local post offices will mean that disabled people, the old and the vulnerable will have to travel long distances to use basic facilities.”
Julia Long said: “As a union representing disabled people, Unite has a duty to ensure that the Government listens to and meets their needs.
“Key in this is to ensure that there are jobs for disabled workers now and in generations to come. “Despite the promises, the closure of factory after factory over the past year has not helped our disabled members into mainstream jobs. We will not allow this to continue to happen and our members to be sold short.”

PCS signs new recognition agreement

PCS last week signed a trade union recognition agreement with the Training and Development Agency for Schools. The agreement was signed by PCS senior national officer, John Hickey, and the TDA’s chief executive, Graham Holley.
The Training and Development Agency for Schools develops standards and training for teachers and the whole school workforce.
In line with the Lyons Review, the TDA is planning to relocate to central Manchester by April 2010 with a planned transitional move to another building in central Manchester taking place between April 2009 and March 2010. alarmed
The transition and eventual relocation has concerned staff for some time and they have become even more alarmed as the organisation has driven the move forward despite the current economic crisis.
The union believes that the economic situation has changed so radically over the last few months that the costs to the tax-payer of such a move (part of the 2004 Lyons Review) require serious scrutiny.
PCS has written to the minister for children, schools and families, Ed Balls, requesting a review.
PCS, whilst eager to begin negotiating with the TDA on the whole gamut of workforce matters, will be taking forward immediately members concerns over their planned relocation.
John Bramson, branch secretary at the agency said, “It is really exciting for all of us in the TDA; we have worked hard to establish this union in the organisation in a time of great change and uncertainty; we now have the opportunity to build a fruitful relationship between staff and management through the strong backing of the union.”