All members should have received their February pay packet which contains back pay to August 2008. Members will also have noticed that new MoD pay scales have been introduced where each spine point (or progression step) is worth 3%All staff have therefore now migrated onto the new pay scale and been moved to the next highest spine point.
Following the recent round of annual general meetings, it is clear that there is some confusion about the status of the pay process. Reportedly some members wrongly believe that, as this money has now been paid, the pay offer has been agreed and implemented.
It is therefore worth stressing again that our union has not accepted the MOD pay offer.
The current position therefore is that nothing has changed - the pay offer has not been accepted by PCS and we will ballot members on the offer in due course.
The key driver over the next period will be the 2009 Treasury remit guidance. This guidance, which will be used in all civil service departments sets out the government parameters and guidance to departments on pay.
It is also worth stressing that we in the MOD group are very much part of the PCS national pay campaign and that this not solely an MOD pay campaign.
Following the change in government policy on pay agreed last December, talks have been taking place with the Treasury and the Cabinet Office about the detail of converting efficiency savings into pay improvements and the contents of new Treasury pay guidance for 2009 / 2010.
As part of the talks our union has been discussing the kind of pay changes which efficiency savings could bring about; the timing of making pay improvements and other pay reforms.
Our union is also putting to the Government proposals for the separate funding of pay progression (to achieve a level-playing field with other public sector organisations), tackling equal pay problems and unjustified pay differences, and making use of unacceptable performance pay arrangements for other pay improvements.
The key test of the new policy will, of course, be extra money in members` pay packets. When the proposed 10th November day of industrial action was postponed last year, it was done so on the basis of testing the national agreement on pay and on the basis of assurances that new efficiency savings were available to improve departmental pay awards.
The 2009 Remit Guidance is now overdue – this delay is extremely frustrating for both our union and for members who rightly want to know what is happening in terms of their pay.
The PCS National Executive Committee (NEC) met last week to discuss progress on the national pay agreement. That meeting of the NEC made clear that we are very concerned that a planned meeting to talk about new pay guidance had been postponed by the Treasury several times.
This had led to a further delay in holding a PCS pay forum for our pay negotiators. This meeting will provide critical advice for PCS pay departmental negotiators, including MoD pay negotiators. Our union will be watching the situation carefully and a special NEC meeting will take place soon to review the situation.
Once the 2009 Treasury remit guidance is released we intend to seek further dialogue with MoD.
A further update on pay for PCS members will be issued shortly.
Yours sincerely
Paul Barnsley Group Secretary
Chris Dando Group President
KC Jones Group Vice President
