To All PCS Members in DWP 12 November 2013
Independent Living Fund victory for disabled campaigners and PCS
On 6th November the Court of Appeal upheld a legal challenge by 5 disabled people against the government’s decision to close the Independent Living Fund (ILF) in March 2015 because the DWP had breached equality duties when deciding to close the ILF.
The ILF provides support for 19,000 severely disabled people to live independent lives in the community.
The 100 PCS members who work in the ILF have been involved in campaigning with disability rights groups to stop the closure. PCS joined a vigil outside the High Court earlier this year to support disabled people challenging the closure.
Your DWP Group Executive Committee (GEC) will work with PCS members in the ILF, disabled people's and carers organisations and MP’s to protect our member’s jobs, protect vital services for disabled people and secure a long term future for the ILF.
PCS slams increase in sanctions and targets culture
PCS reacted angrily this week to a DWP report showing the latest figures on benefit sanctions in Jobcentres. The figures show a big increase in sanctions. PCS believes that sanctions are part of the governments’ general attack on the welfare state.
Job seekers face having their benefit stopped and forced to use food banks and loan sharks while PCS members, trained to use appropriate discretion and help people find work, face targets and PIP’s if they don’t apply enough sanctions.
PCS agrees with the concerns about sanctions raised by Members of Parliament on the public accounts committee (PAC) earlier this year. The PAC committee report points says that by obsessively applying sanctions to stop people claiming benefit, the department risks unfairly applying sanctions to get claimants to sign off. Senior managers admit they do not know what happens to 40% of people who stop claiming. The MP’s also said that while enquiries to CAB from jobseeker had reduced, enquiries about sanctions had risen by 45% and that these enquiries were overwhelmingly from vulnerable groups, people with learning disabilities or mental health problems.
PCS believes the sanctions regime damages the relationship between claimants and advisers, our members want to help people back into work not catch them out using an increasingly unfair and harsh system.
DWP insists that there are no sanctions targets set for PCS members working in jobcentres only expectations for management information purposes but members with years of experience who know how to help claimants find work are being hauled in for meetings for not applying enough sanctions. The GEC will continue to put evidence to management to get this stopped.
Festive leave in Pensions Directorate
PCS has successfully challenged the original 10% limit for annual leave imposed for January 2 & 3 in Pensions Directorate. Following representations by PCS, Pensions management have now agreed to remove this 10% limit and instead offer at least the standard 18 to 25 % on those days. Management have also said they hope to be able to increase the 25% limit to 33%, for the days up to New Years Day, subject to satisfactory performance figures being met for November.
Unfortunately however, for 2nd and 3rd January, PCS is aware that a message that has been cascaded to Pensions managers not to allow leave above 18% on those two days. PCS will continue to press management to allow more staff to take leave on these days.
PCS want Pensions management to allow the highest possible percentage across the whole of the Christmas and New Year period and the GEC will consult Pensions members as negotiations continue. The GEC regard the current position as still unsatisfactory and will do everything possible to negotiate a settlement. But it is clear that many PCS members are angry at management’s position. PCS members do not accept that there is a need for them to attend over the festive period in large numbers when there is little work to do.
Shared Services campaign continues
Action by PCS members working in Shared Services led to positive talks.
Following the privatisation on 1 November the PCS campaign to defend our jobs, safeguard our terms and conditions and stop off shoring continues just as strong.
PCS met with Steria/SSCL on 6 November. We made clear our opposition to privatisation and off shoring. The meeting was constructive.
At this meeting PCS and Steria/SSCL agreed –
1. Our shared objective is to work together to avoid compulsory redundancies.
2. We will have detailed negotiations about off shoring and seek to reach an agreement on job protection
3. Staff who are successful at interview for Civil Service posts will be released subject to notice periods etc.
4. We will aim to agree a formal PCS union recognition agreement for the whole company before Christmas.
5. SSCL will continue to collect Union subs from source
The GEC will be holding meetings with members in Shared Services to keep them informed and consult them as the talk’s progress.
You can help with a click
The privatisation of Shared Services means that the data containing your personal records will be privatised and sent abroad to be handled when DWP jobs are cut. If you are opposed to this you can click http://action.pcs.org.uk/page/speakout/save-our-shared-services and tell the government. Don’t use your work email to do this.
Steve Cawkwell Fran Heathcote
Group Secretary Group President
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