Public and Commercial Services Union

Navin Shah, Labour

1. PCS is campaigning for fair pay for its members, meaning that their pay should increase in line with inflation and be negotiated nationally instead of 200 separate sets of negotiations. Do you support PCS’s campaign for fair pay for public servants?

I agree that the salaries must be dealt with fairly be linked with inflationary increase and does make sense that the negotiations for pay increases should occur through National negotiations and NOT separately. To this end I wholeheartedly support the Unions stance and the campaign of fair pay for the civil servants.

2. The government has proposed to cut over 100,000 civil and public service jobs. They claim these cuts will not impact service delivery to the public, however every day our members are seeing how less staff means a poorer service to the public. Where do you stand on cutting civil and public service jobs?

I strongly believe that proposals to disproportionately cut jobs in London & South-East London will have adverse impact on the service delivery.

3. PCS is concerned that privatisation of the civil service has continued since 1997. We believe this is costly and unnecessary and jeopardises services being delivered to the public, often the most vulnerable in society. Where do you stand on privatising public services?

This is an entirely wrong approach in that it is neither cost-effective nor accountable way to serve the members of public. I agree that this would have detrimental impact on the most vulnerable in our community e.g. elderly, disable and black and minority ethnic communities. I believe in accountability and ownership of services, which you don’t get this through privatisation.