Public and Commercial Services Union

Background to the campaign

In 2004, the government announced massive job cuts as part of its ‘efficiency programme’.

In response we launched a major campaign including a national strike in November that year.

PCS members standing together has been the foundation of the National Campaign. Photo: John Birdsall

As a result, a National Protocol was established whereby the Cabinet Office would try to seek alternatives to redundancy.

This was not a formal agreement with the union though. It became apparent that although hard negotiating and campaigning prevented many compulsory redundancies, the Protocol needed strengthening as a national agreement.

We engaged in talks with ministers and officials but towards the end of 2006 it became apparent that the employer was not engaging seriously in these talks.

In order to put pressure on the employer, we held a national ballot on industrial action during January 2007. Members voted overwhelmingly in favour.

Successful national stoppages on 31 January and 1 May were accompanied by overtime bans and political pressure through our Parliamentary groups and the Make Your Vote Count campaign.

Our national demands

• Guarantees of no compulsory redundancies or relocations
• Pay increases which at least keep pace with the cost of living
• A national pay system to end unfair pay that sees staff doing the same job paid vastly differing salaries
• No more privatisation and outsourcing without agreements to protect the workforce
• Adequate resources and decent working conditions
• No cuts to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Another consultative ballot in October showed members’ continuing support for the dispute, but before further national industrial action was called PCS was offered, for the first time, national negotiations with the Cabinet Office on all our demands.

Latest position

We have now reached a national agreement with the Cabinet Office which provides members in the civil service and related bodies with improved protection from compulsory redundancy.

Whilst this is good news, the vital issue of civil service and public sector pay remains unsettled.

We now need the same unity, commitment and determination in our campaign for fair and equal pay.