7 April 2009 - MoD/MB/23/09Pay update no 10: MoD Pay Offer - PCS GEC recommends ‘no’ vote in forthcoming ballot
As outlined in MoD/MB/20/09 there was an emergency meeting of the PCS MoD group executive committee (GEC) on 6 April. At that meeting the GEC received a report from pay negotiators on the recent meeting on pay that PCS had with MoD.
On the basis of that report the GEC has agreed to proceed to an immediate ballot of members on pay – with a unanimous GEC recommendation to urge members to vote NO in the ballot. The ballot will run from 14 April until 12 noon on 28 April.
Negotiations
Members will be aware that PCS noted the implementation of some elements of the first year of the MoD pay offer in February.
We did not ballot members at the time for two reasons. Firstly so members could receive additional money and back pay immediately and secondly to allow us to seek to resolve serious concerns our members had with the offer on the table. We set out plans to engage with MoD and promised to ballot members on any final offer.
We have, since then, sought to engage MoD in serious negotiations. However we have now reached the point where our union has had to conclude that MoD has been negotiating in bad faith and has no intention of trying to address the legitimate concerns of our members on pay. PCS negotiators have put forward a series of proposals particularly on the pay/pension cut at E1 and E2 but MoD has failed to negotiate seriously around these.
Despite assurances to the contrary MoD has decided to impose the cuts at E1/E2 on 1 May and in advance of the Treasury remit guidance for 2009. This guidance has now been published and allows department to make the case for using efficiency savings to improve pay. MoD has effectively prevented us from doing this by rushing to impose pay and pension cuts.
Why you should vote ‘no’ to this offer
The MoD pay offer is unacceptable for many reasons. These include:
Other issues
1. We are aware that MoD and other discredited elements are claiming that, unless PCS members agree the pay cut, then the MoD or the Treasury could take the money already on offer away. This is untrue – the recently published Treasury remit guidance makes clear that all multi year deals (including the MoD pay offer) will be paid.
2. Another lie being peddled is that PCS members will have to pay back the money paid in back pay in February and other elements of the 2008 pay offer which have already been paid. This is nonsense.
3. Please note that a series of briefings on pay and members meetings are being arranged. You may wish to cast your vote after hearing what we have to say at these meetings. The Norcross pay meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 21st April, in Tommies at 10AM – with guest speaker Paul Barnsley, facility has been applied for. VWS staff are recommended to contact the MoD Group at PCS HQ for details of the geographically closest pay meeting.
PCS is asking every member to vote ‘no’ in the pay ballot. We are actively considering legal action, possibly on behalf of all members at E1 and E2, if our legal advice is that the MoD imposed cuts are potentially unlawful.
After the vote what happens next?
A massive NO vote will mean that MoD cannot claim that MoD staff are collectively agreeing to a pay cut for the lowest paid staff in MoD. PCS will be seeking to invoke ‘status quo’ meaning that no changes can be made to the E1 and E2 Max whilst we are in dispute.
We will also be seeking meetings with MoD ministers to ask them to overturn the appalling proposals on the table. Nationally we are raising MoD pay proposals with the Treasury and Cabinet Office.
In the meantime we need to alert ministers to our concerns. Attached to this circular is a letter that we urge you to send to the secretary of state on behalf of all members.
When you vote, please consider not only your own but other members circumstances.
Not only is an injury to one an injury to all but if the MOD gets away with slashing max’s now, it could be your pay that suffers next. In the current economic climate we need to protect our pay, our future earnings and our pensions – all of which are under threat from these proposals.
Paul Barnsley, group secretary
Chris Dando, president
KC Jones, vice president
Text of PCS members letter to John Hutton
April 2009
Rt Hon John Hutton MP
Secretary of State
Ministry of Defence
Main Building
Floor 5, Zone B
London
SW1A 2HB
Dear Mr. Hutton,
MoD Non Industrial Civil Service Pay 2008-2010
I am writing to you to express my concern at the MoD proposals to cut the pay and pensions of the lowest paid staff in MoD.
As you might be aware the Department intends to reduce the pay band maxima for non-industrial civil servants at E1 and E2 pay bands. I understand that MoD plan to impose these cuts on 1st May 2009.
I believe that it would be completely unjust to penalise the lowest paid staff in the department by cutting their pay in such a manner. I am dismayed that my employer would propose to cut consolidated – and contractual – pay and replace it with a non-consolidated allowance.
It is equally wrong to force thousands of hard working staff to accept non consolidated pay awards and also miss out on proposed additional progression payments based on length of service that staff with less service will receive.
The proposed pay ‘protection’ allowance is only guaranteed until 2010 and many staff are extremely worried that these proposals will have a detrimental impact upon their future earnings and pensions.
I ask that you personally intervene in this process so that we can find an acceptable solution to this problem. I know that my union, PCS, has proposed a number of ways to resolve this issue and I would hope that my employer would seriously consider these. I hope that you will agree that low paid government employees should not have to take a pay cut.
Yours sincerely
