Our union recently formed a CTLB campaign sub committee to find a means to defend members’ jobs within CTLB. The letter below to 2nd PUS (as head of CTLB) is one of our campaigning activities and has been sent as our union wants to work constructively with CTLB management to avoid job cuts in CTLB. Our union believes that before a single job is cut, we should seek to identify such alternatives. At a time when we are told that we must accept a pay freeze and there are ongoing assaults on our pensions and compensation payments, we believe it is completely wrong to cut 25,000 civilian jobs throughout the MoD.
Whilst we await a reply from 2nd PUS, we need help and support from PCS members in CTLB to identify further waste in CTLB. The link below gives members the opportunity to view what MoD spends externally on a monthly basis. Our union asks that members look through this and if they can identify wasteful spending, they let us know.
Similarly, if members in CTLB work alongside military colleagues, consultants, contractors or agency staff who are doing civilian work they should let us know.
There is an alternative to job cuts, pay freezes, pension cuts and cuts to our compensation scheme. Please play a part in our union to help identify these alternatives.
Dougie Brownlie PCS CTLB lead
Dear Jon, (Day 2nd PUS)
PCS OPEN LETTER TO 2ND PUS – ALTERNATIVES TO MANPOWER REDUCTIONS IN CTLB
After his meeting with the trade unions on 4th March 2011, the defence secretary wrote to the unions confirming what was agreed at the meeting. In his letter he stated, “…if you are able to offer credible alternative proposals that may realise equivalent savings and might reduce the need for manpower reductions, I would happily consider them.” In the covering note to the letter it states, “…to engage positively with the TU’s on any alternatives that they suggest”.
As you will be aware, in tandem with the six monthly CTLB Whitley’s, the trade unions meet Louise Tullett (Director CTLB) and Steve Hall (CTLB HRBP) on a monthly basis. These meetings are welcome and productive and at that level, we have already started the process of building an alternative to civilian job cuts in CTLB. The purpose of this letter is to seek your agreement for resource to be given to a joint TU/management team to fully research and cost possible alternatives in CTLB.
Although not an exhaustive list, PCS has already identified the following as potential budgetary savings measures –
- Removal of unnecessary consultants, contractors or agency staff in CTLB who are employed to do jobs that either used to be or could now be done by civilians.
- Service personnel being employed to do jobs that either used to be or could now be done by civilians. PCS believe that MoD wide there are approximately 40,000 non-deployable military personnel costing on average 40% more than an equivalent civilian. Not only is civilianisation cheaper for defence and the taxpayer, it frees up these military personnel to do the job they have been trained to do.
- CTLB contracts that charge ridiculous amounts for items or services, such as the recent £22 light bulb.
The coalition government’s transparency policies ensure that all departments now publish external spending over £25,000. MoD spending is now freely available on the MoD website and can be broken down into TLB spending. CTLB spent £49,862,946.35 in February this year on 406 separate items. As an example, this includes £56,490.40 for limousine hire. Not only does this appear to be outwith the wider coalition government’s policies on travel, it is at a time when first class travel is banned in MoD (despite entitlement) and we are extending the Commitment Control Regime in CTLB.
As you would expect, PCS would like to investigate every single item of external spend in CTLB. We also wish to investigate every use of consultants, contractors or agency staff in CTLB; we wish to re-evaluate every non-deployable military officer position in CTLB and we wish to look through the contracts let by CTLB to see if they can realise savings. We believe all of this work should be a joint project between CTLB and the trade unions.
Civilian staff in CTLB, and the wider MoD, play an absolutely vital role in supporting the front line. On many occasions, this may not be visible to the general public or the media, but I’m sure we can agree that without the civilian support, the front line could simply not operate. Many civilian staff have dedicated their entire working careers to our department and care deeply about the Ministry of Defence. Whilst PCS accept that as head of CTLB, you have little or no influence over issues such as the pay freeze, civil service compensation scheme or pensions, you can have a huge influence on the number of future civilian jobs in CTLB.
Therefore, I would request that in line with the defence secretary’s recommendations, you resource and set up a joint trade union/management team that can attempt to make the necessary financial savings without seeking recourse to civilian job cuts in CTLB.
I look forward to hearing from you regarding this.
