7 August 2009 - Government intends to tear up longstanding agreement on terms and conditions to cut jobs on the cheapThe Cabinet Office has published proposals for changes to the civil service compensation scheme (CSCS). If implemented, the changes will leave many PCS members tens of thousands of pounds worse off in the event of voluntary or compulsory redundancy.
This is a disgrace, and is particularly cynical at a time when we can clearly see that tens of thousands of jobs are at risk over the next few years.
The CSCS is the redundancy and early retirement payment scheme for the civil service and many other public bodies.
If your employer is in the principal civil service pension scheme (PCSPS) you will be covered by the CSCS and the benefits from the scheme are accrued entitlements that we believe the government have no right to remove. As it is a statutory scheme changes have to be agreed by parliament.
PCS, with the other civil service unions, have been in negotiations with the Cabinet Office about the scheme since the autumn of last year. The published proposals which have not been agreed with the unions do not represent the best offer that could have been made.
The employer refused to put a further offer that would have given some protection during transitional arrangements when PCS was not prepared to be coerced into giving an undertaking to recommend acceptance.
Even this revised offer was completely unacceptable and would still have meant a detriment to the vast majority of existing staff, particularly those facing a redundancy situation in the future.
We believe the proposals are an outrageous attempt to cut people’s jobs on the cheap at a time when many are worried about job security.
