PCS Pay Update No 10, asked all members to write to John Hutton, the MoD Secretary of State regarding the potential imposition of the MoD pay offer from 1 May 2009.
We have also arranged pay meetings across MoD so that we can discuss with members the latest developments on pay and urge members to Vote NO in the pay ballot. Please contact your branch secretary for details of your branch’s meeting.
We have now also set up an online petition to the prime minister and would urge all members with Internet access to sign this petition. The petition is available at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/MoDpaycuts/
For those members without Internet access, the petition is replicated below at Annex A. We would ask that members sign this and pass it to PCS colleagues around your workplace.
The MoD pay offer is unacceptable for many reasons. These include:
· An attack on the pay of the lowest paid staff with huge cuts to pay at the E1 and E2 pay band maxima.
· A disgraceful attempt by MoD to cut the future pensions of all staff, particularly at pay bands E1 and E2.
· A series of cuts to the pay and allowances of civil servants serving overseas
· MoD scale shortening has pushed many members back down to their pay band minima – this after member’s have spent years moving away from it.
· Freezing pay band maxima at senior pay bands
· The offer is divisive and does not meet the terms of the PCS National and Group pay claim.
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.
We also need to make the department aware that bad faith negotiations are totally unacceptable. The MoD pay offer stated “For staff affected by the creation of the new generic E pay group maxima, during the offer period, we propose further talks with the trade unions to find an agreed way forward on pay protection. A project plan will be devised under the aegis of the Pay Forum and agreed with the Trade Unions by March 2009.” MoD has failed to keep that promise.
We cannot accept a pay cut now – if we do MoD will have carte blanche to cut our pay again and again in the future,
Please Vote No in the ballot and look after your own pay now and in the future.
Yours sincerely
Paul Barnsley Group Secretary
Chris Dando President
KC Jones Vice President
