Future Work for AA Members

PCS is in discussions with DWP management to seek to ensure that every effort is made to provide future work for our AA members.

DWP management maintain that there are decreasing volumes of work for AA’s. While they expect to need AA’s in significant numbers for a number of years, they argue that the traditional AA role is gradually being displaced by new technology and new ways of working. PCS believes that there is still a considerable amount of work for our AA members. While the nature of AA work may have changed as a result of new technology, work that is appropriate to the AA grade remains.

AA Exit Scheme

As part of their ongoing strategy to reduce the numbers of AAs, DWP allowed 711 AAs to leave DWP at the end of March under the voluntary exit scheme. This immediately created serious shortages of AAs, particularly in Benefit Centres where the AA role is still an essential part of the business model. In one office management have even resorted to seeking to compulsorily transfer AA staff in to replace those allowed to leave on the exit scheme. After the exit scheme around 1,800 AAs remain in DWP.

Document Destruction Work

Members and branches have recently been raising concerns about the JSA document destruction work coming to an end. This work has largely been carried out by AAs across different parts of DWP and concerns have been raised that it may result in some of these members being declared surplus.
There also concerns that new operating models in some directorates could lead to AAs becoming surplus as AA work is effectively up-graded and more senior staff are expected to do their own AA work as part of their job, as has been the case in Job Centres for some years. Management claim that this reduces handovers and helps to achieve their current preference for what they call a ‘Once and Done’ approach. PCS’ view is that where AA staff remain then AA tasks should be done by those members and higher graded staff should not be expected to do AA work.

Talks with DWP management

As a result of these concerns the GEC has been engaging with DWP management to ensure everything is being done to avoid any AA member being declared surplus. The GEC has compiled a paper listing the main areas of AA work that remain in DWP and have sent this to management as the basis for a strategy for avoiding surpluses. Following this, constructive discussions have taken place with management with both parties working together with a view to maximising future AA work and avoiding surpluses.
PCS is not arguing that DWP should abandon its operating models that have designed out AA roles. Instead our position is that DWP can and should ensure that these models are adjusted to provide meaningful AA work where there are AA members still working for DWP. We believe that this could be done relatively easily if there is a will on the part of management to make it happen. Even where AA members are present in very small numbers new technology enables many AA tasks to be moved to them.
PCS’ discussions on this are continuing with DWP management. DWP have assured PCS that they will explore all options before declaring anyone surplus. It is a welcome reassurance that DWP state that they will continue to need a significant number of AA’s for several years. However, although no AAs are being made surplus at present, management they have also said that they are not able to rule out that some AA members may be made surplus at some point in the future. The GEC is committed to doing everything possible to avoid that and to defend the jobs of our AA members. As soon as more information is available further briefings will be issued.