Workers’ anger as PCS members refused agreed pay rise

Dave Semple PCS DWP Group Assistant Secretary (pc)

PCS members in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) were outraged on Thursday June 7 to learn that their employer had decided to delay payment of a previously-agreed pay rise for 2018-19, and would also delay any performance related payments.


The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which represents civil servants across the UK and in the devolved governments, is in dispute with the government over successive below-inflation pay caps, which has meant cuts to our pay.


PCS members in the DWP overwhelmingly voted for the Employee Deal in 2016 which addressed the endemic lack of pay progression that members had suffered for years for grades up to HEO. Everyone was clear about the payments they are due in each of the 4 years from 2016-2019 which overall are designed to get the maximum number of staff up to HEO level onto the maximum of the pay scale– ie the rate for the job.


Year 3 of the deal was due to be implemented from 1st July 2018, but senior DWP management have now announced a delay. They have cited the excuse that they cannot pay an award agreed in 2016 because the Treasury has not published Civil Service Pay Guidance for 2018/2019. It is absolutely correct for the PCS DWP Group Executive Committee to reject this excuse as completely unjustified. There is no reason why the agreed Employee Deal pay rises should be delayed pending the talks that will need to take place on performance payments, reviewing the impact of the cost of living rises, reviewing pay for those who have opted out, pay for those already on the max and not on DWP terms and conditions and pay for all SEOs and above.


PCS members are rightly angry about the delay to their expected Employee Deal pay rise in July but also the fact that the Treasury have held up negotiations on everything else and are expressing how livid they are in offices in every corner of the UK
PCS must keep demanding that the Employee Deal pay rises are paid on time whilst negotiations take place on our pay claim for 5% or £1200 underpinning and all staff to be paid at least £10ph.


Reps should organise members meetings to mobilise this anger and clearly demonstrate how livid our members are about this delay. Glasgow Springburn office has already organised members meetings and others are following suit. Members are angry that management always want more from us but cannot keep up their side of the bargain and pay us on time.


PCS members are angry with the way that Treasury has caused unnecessary delays to the annual part of the pay negotiations. And clearly recognise that we need to fight to force the Treasury to fully fund Government Departments to pay above inflation pay rises to all our members. Members are so angry about the delay because every penny of our pay is accounted for and rightly understand the impact that inflation running at 3% is having on our living standards and making ends meet.

PCS must channel the fury felt by thousands of members in DWP let down by the employer into the National pay campaign.

PCS must continue to explore every legal avenue if management persist in paying the contractual Employee Deal pay rises late. The DWP Group Executive must demand that management implement payments without delay and mobilise a collective response if they don’t.

Alongside this helps us to fire up our members to deliver a huge YES vote for action in the national PCS Pay ballot that is due to start on 18th June

All members of PCS deserve the 5% pay rise, on top of the Employee Deal, which branches enthusiastically voted to fight for at our Annual Delegate Conference in May.

We can achieve this if we organise and fight back.
We must encourage all non-members to join the union in DWP.
 We can enthuse all our reps and can recruit a whole new layer of activists to help us drive a massive yes vote and a mandate for action on pay.
 Socialist Party members in PCS say smash the cap, vote YES in the ballot.