Pay grievancesOur union has seen the letter that MoD has now issued to PCS members who have lodged grievances in respect of the reduced pay band maxima at E1 and E2.
We are asking all members to:
1. Attend the grievance hearing – this is your opportunity to tell the department what you think about the decision to cut your pay and pension.
2. MoD has asked all members to set out the remedy that they seek from the grievance process. We advise members to use the following form of words: "that MoD reinstitute the pay band maxima for my grade (specify E1/E2) to the figure as at April 2009"
3. We also ask members to set out what the imposed cut means for you in terms of the pay award that you will receive and also any other relevant information.
PCS will provide all members with representation at the grievance hearing.
Update on MoD pay negotiations
After Susan Scholefield, the MoD director of civilian personnel refused to meet with PCS members impacted by pay and pension cuts, we have now written to Bob Ainsworth, the secretary of state for defence with a request that he meet our members.
We are suggesting that he directly intervenes in this dispute and helps address the concerns of PCS members. Unfortunately as yet, he has not responded to our letter.
We will now ask John McDonnell, the chair of the PCS parliamentary group to write to Mr Ainsworth asking him to intervene and to try and resolve an issue that threatens the pay of thousands of his employees.
National pay update
Civil service pay continues to be unfair, unequal and irrational. Staff continue to be paid different rates for work of equal value.
In comparison to the rest of the public sector our pay has progression up the pay scale funded from the pay allocated. Every other part of the public sector funds progression/advancement separately to the basic pay award. This is wholly unfair.
Our union continues to put pressure on the Treasury and the government and we are determined to win on our objectives on pay which are:
· A reduction in the number of bargaining units
· Eradication of the huge pay differences, of up to 25% or more, for work of equal value
· Common conditions of service package
· Abolition of performance pay and bonus payments (putting less money into non-consolidated pay and more into consolidated pay rates).
· A return to national pay bargaining across all civil service organisations.
Defend jobs – Defend the CSCS
Not only is the MoD job slaughter continuing, but it is clear that developing plans being drawn up by our employer and the government will see the attack intensify. NO JOB in MoD is safe.
The media is full of quotes from discredited politicians engaged in a grotesque auction of promised job cuts. Our members are not the cause of the economic crisis – but are being asked to pay for it with their jobs and pay.
If that were not bad enough we are also attacked with disgraceful lies. For example Liam Fox, the Conservative shadow defence secretary claims: “the military seems consistently to shrink while the civil service keeps growing?” (strange, when 36,500 MOD civil servant jobs have been lost since 1997 compared to only 19.000 service posts), as well threats of a pay freeze and attack on pensions from the Liberal Democrats.
As for the current Government, the less said about New Labour the better!
The current proposals to slash the entitlements in the civil service compensation scheme (CSCS) must be seen for what they are.
The government proposals can only save money once civil servants are made redundant – and therefore the proposed cuts represent a clearing of the ground to begin a savage attack on our jobs which will allow the next government to cut tens of thousands of posts in the future on the cheap.
In 2005, the government agreed a deal with our union to honour our existing pensions with a new scheme (the best in the public service) put in place for new entrants. At the very least, the same should happen with the CSCS.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Barnsley Group Secretary
Chris Dando Group President
KC Jones Group Vice President
