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DWP Union News - Weekly Bulletin 32

13 August 2010

The latest news for members in DWP and CMEC.

The PCS CMEC Advisory Committee met this week to discuss all the issues facing CMEC members. They particularly focused on the “Future Scheme” and the transfer of all CMEC staff from CSA, which management are describing as the old “damaged brand” to a newly created organisation. It is vital that the new organisation must remain in the civil service as a public sector organisation. This must not be an excuse for back door privatisation. However damaged management says the brand of CSA had become, no-one can dispute that currently it is the brand leader. CMEC members delivered every single target last year except one – and that was in the one area that had been outsourced to the private sector. In DWP and CMEC nobody does it better than our staff.

Pay talks delayed

Pay talks in DWP and CMEC were delayed this week while management considered further Cabinet Office guidance about the pay freeze. PCS members will not welcome a further delay when our pay settlement date of 1st July has already passed.
These delays are caused by the incoming government and their attempts to hold down our pay.

Progression needed

The new guidance states that where there is a contractual entitlement to progression it must be paid. In DWP we have argued that we all must have a progression payment – like many other public sector workers are still getting. Progression is certainly referred to in all of our contracts.

£21,000 or less

PCS has also argued that allowances should not be included in the definition of £21,000 or less as the limit for the pay freeze. The new guidance allows flexibility on that point. We will push hard to ensure all members get a pay rise.

Pay talks are due to re - start next week.

Together we will win

Who deserves the credit for fighting Fraud?

PCS members were surprised this week to hear government plans to invite credit reference agencies to get involved in Benefit Fraud work – an area where these private companies have little or no expertise but it does come at a time when much of their work has dried up because of the recession.

DWP staff tackle fraud best

In contrast official figures show that on average every single member of DWP fraud staff recovered over £68,000 of fraudulently claimed benefit last year. Further investment in DWP public servants could reap further dividends for the public purse - and you can be sure that every penny public servants recover goes back to the taxpayer rather than having profit creamed off it for the shareholders of these private companies.

Downloadable version:   DWP Union News - Weekly Bulletin 32

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