Staff at the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) based at Innsworth, Gloucester, celebrated today at news that their jobs are safe.
The decision by Derek Twigg MP, the Under Secretary of State for Defence and Veteran’s Minister not to allow the SPVA Future Accommodation Study(FAS) proposals to move SPVA from the Innsworth site to be given further consideration was warmly welcomed by the PCS union that has fought so hard to keep the 150 jobs at Innsworth.
PCS Branch Secretary, Eric Rothery, said “ Staff here at Innsworth wanted to continue working here, not just for reasons of self interest, but because they genuinely care about the work they do, the support it gives to the front line and they could see the endemic risk of moving these functions for very little, if any, actual economic gain. Management unfortunately did not seem to care about people, be that staff, customers or stakeholders, and we had a constant struggle to see what focus their actions were based upon”.
Throughout the campaign and the consultation process, the local union officials were impressed with the even-handedness of the elected Ministers (Derek Twigg MP and Bob Ainsworth MP) and their willingness to listen to the counter arguments put forward by the staff at Innsworth. The local union is also grateful for the support and dedication shown by the SPVA Whitley Secretary, Andy Boylan, and National Group figures, Calum Campbell, K C Jones and Dougie Brownlie and also the local Retired Officers Association who were also very active in the campaign. They would also like to thank all the PCS friends and colleagues all over the country that signed the petition to keep the SPVA at Innsworth.
The local union would also wish to acknowledge the strength of feeling staff had towards the FAS proposals and this was actively and positively transferred into helping provide input to the response to the Business Case and writing and meeting with their local MP’s and councillors. Staff should be extremely proud that Minister has recognised their expertise and professionalism and has decided that they should be retained within the Defence community.
