Public and Commercial Services Union

Quality Public Services

Quality Public Services is a global campaign to ensure that public services are well resourced, with skilled staff delivering services that are effective, participatory, accessible and in tune with community needs.

Quality public services (QPS) are essential if the world is to meet important social objectives such as the eradication of poverty and hunger.

The campaign is being coordinated by Public Service International (PSI).

PCS is affiliated to PSI - a global union federation made up of more than 600 trade unions. They represent more than 20 million workers who deliver public services in 160 countries around the world. PCS is now represented on the PSI world executive committee and on the working group planning merger between PSI and EPSU.

Bilateral working relations with unions in Europe

Sweden

We are working with ST – the Swedish equivalent of PCS - towards building a strategic partnership in terms of our work in EPSU and PSI. In October 2008 we facilitated a Joint ST/PCS/PSI Social Dialogue Seminar of Balkan Trade Unionists. This was part of a follow on from the visiting ST delegation in 2006 and the PCS visit in 2007 building bilateral working relations. We are still endeavouring to develop links between the HMRC Group and the Young Members Forum and their equivalents in ST.

In early October, ST accompanied a finance group from Swedish trade unions on a visit to Edinburgh. As part of the visit they met with the PCS Scottish Secretary to discuss possible agreements with insurance companies/banks on services/membership opportunities offered to members.

It is the PCS turn to host a visit from ST officials and it is proposed that an invitation is extended to ST and a programme drawn up for a visit in the second half of 2009.

France

EM10 ADC 2007 called on PCS to give practical support and solidarity to its counterparts in France who are also campaigning against attacks on jobs and pensions. PCS has links with the French public sector union Force Ouvrière (FO) with whom we will continue to maintain contact with and give support.

Our Driving Standards Agency Group also has strong sectoral links with its counterpart SNICA-FO which represents French Driving Examiners in Force Ouvrière. The SNICA-FO General Secretary Christian Grolier, addressed the 2008 PCS ADC International Rally.
 

PCS and the global economy - offshoring

Motion A2 ADC 2005 called for a co-ordinated campaign in the UK against off-shoring and more general campaigning at national and international level. We reached a landmark agreement with Siemens in 2006 which was supported by Government and has all but stopped the off-shoring of central Government public service work. Nevertheless we treat this as a suspension of off-shoring rather than an end to it. Sensitivity around data security has thankfully also made it difficult for even the ‘hawks’ on the off-shoring agenda to make any progress. PCS members have still been affected. Siemens have lost a contract with Barclays Bank (not public service work) who are taking the work back in-house and off-shoring it to India. This is making almost 500 of our members redundant.

The global economy is also the stimulus behind company mergers and take-overs, the movement of work, new skills development strategies and increased competition generally. All of this means pressure on jobs and new ways of working. The global economy remains a massive challenge for the Commercial Sector including keeping the union effective and there will be knock-on effects in the public sector.

A draft concordat covering 7 major IT companies is still being negotiated with the Government and those companies which we hope to introduce in 2009.
 

Global problems public solutions

Continuing the joint campaign under the memorandum of understanding, PCS and War on Want jointly produced a leaflet on “Global Problems, Public Solutions” – to campaign for a new Public Finance Initiative to provide public solutions to global problems, which was launched at the 2008 ADC International Rally.

As part of this campaign, attention is currently focussed on Tax Justice, and we seek to call on the government to acknowledge that a fair and progressive tax system which is properly resourced and administered is essential to tackle poverty and to build a more equitable society. A 10-point plan outlining our demands and UK and International action has been drawn up, which reflects both the PCS/WoW International and PCS/HMRC perspectives. The plan should be incorporated into an updated version of the “Global Problems, Public Solutions” leaflet and used as part of the continued international campaign with War on Want.

It is intended to develop awareness of this campaign as part of the union’s IDLF Project

Social Dialogue

PCS has been working with EPSU to develop the EU-wide Social Dialogue in the national administration sector, which gives social partners including unions the opportunity to influence developments regarding employment and ongoing reforms at the European level.

There have been positive developments and work is now well underway to set up a formal Social Dialogue across national administrations in the EU.

It is hoped that this stage of the process will conclude in 2009, possibly during the Swedish Presidency.