Staffing Levels
Management did not have finalised headcount allocations for 2015 -2016 yet but were able to share indicative figures with us that suggested once the staff had left on the Voluntary Exit Scheme (VES), headcount would be approximately “on target” to be just under 27,000 nationally by the end of year.
PCS continued to express concern about the impact on service delivery and workloads following the 3000 staff exits in June. In most areas PCS members working in Jobcentres are reporting that they are already struggling to deliver the service they believe they are meant to with staffing at current levels. The push on daily or weekly signing, along with the Universal Credit training requirement and roll out means that whilst unemployment may be decreasing, the pressure on staff to deliver more work with less support is increasing.
The GEC believes that the (Zeus) allocation model does not work, as currently there are necessary activities being delivered that are not accounted for in the model. We will be meeting the analysts soon to make this case.
However, the primary driver behind reduced staff allocations is the year on year “efficiency savings” which has seen DWP staffing reduce by nearly 30,000 overall since 2010. Whilst future plans for work services or DWP policy won’t be determined till after May, the GEC believes that fighting for better staffing levels for a decent publicly resourced employment service remains a key element of the Group campaign to be taken forward.
AOs
The majority of those leaving on the VES are in the AO grade, leaving doubts on how work currently and previously carried out by AOs will be delivered. We reiterated our position that there are, and should still be, roles for AOs in Jobcentres even after the introduction of Universal Credit. WSD management agreed to consult with PCS on the development of the future operating model, which may see more standardisation of processes within jobcentres again. The GEC will continue to resist any compulsory moves and compulsory redundancies that could arise from these changes, though none are expected in the immediate future.
Job Evaluation and Grading
Management are keen to press on with the Job Evaluation and Grading (JEGs) exercise for the Assisted Service Coach and anager roles (ASC, ASM) as indicated in the previous bulletin DWP/BB/204/14. This will be done with PCS involvement in the JEG process.
Hardship Claims
It was reported in the previous bulletin that management had agreed our position that Hardship Interviews should be conducted in a screened area or by telephone. However, management’s current view is that only adverse decisions that need to be communicated in this way, not the interview/data gather, although the Hardship Officer still has the discretion to use screens as a precaution. The Operational Excellence Directorate (OED) is reviewing Hardship Payments guidance; management agreed to a separate discussion with PCS so we can raise our concerns and ensure we have an understanding on how this work is conducted safely.
35 Hour Weekly Jobsearch
Following a Freedom of Information request which referenced a PCS circular, management confirmed our view that 35 hour weekly job search is not a legal requirement within the JSA Claimant Commitment. It is therefore unreasonable for members to be penalised through performance improvement plans or marked down on their performance at the end of the year for not including 35 hour job search as part of the JSA claimant commitment.
Work Experience / Movement to Work
PCS made it clear to management that in many areas there is inappropriate work being carried out by people on Movement to Work (MtW). In particular some of the MtW participants in Jobcentres have been working with claimants unsupervised and with very little or no Keeping Safe training. This is unacceptable because this is work that should be rightly done by paid DWP workers and that it puts both Work Experience and DWP workers at risk. WSD management confirmed that in order to work alone with the public, the keeping safe part 2 must be completed which MtW will not have done. The “Assisted Service Front of House principles” also states the public must be supervised by DWP employees whilst using jobcentre computers. The GEC is currently awaiting for the DWP guidance to be updated following issues raised by DTUS, a full briefing will then be issued to branches.
Conditionality and Sanctions
PCS Group Vice President Helen Flanagan and PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka gave evidence to the recent Parliamentary Select Committee on sanctions. A full briefing on conditionality and sanctions will be issued after the Committee’s report is published.
We are aware that pressure is still put on our members working in Jobcentres to refer claimants to decision makers for sanctions and that end of year performance markings can be affected by the numbers referred for decisions. DWP Management and government ministers have been keen to state publicly that there are no targets for sanctions. If there are no targets for sanctions then it is not appropriate for PCS members to be told they have not referred enough claimants to a decision maker on a purely numerical basis.
Advice for members and branches
Branches need to raise issues with local management and use escalation routes where appropriate if it is not possible to reach a resolution locally. Issues that may have national consequences need to be communicated to national negotiators via leeds@pcs.org.uk
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