Public and Commercial Services Union

I believe that I am being bullied by my manager, what do I do?

Keep a written record of any incidents including dates, times and witnesses present and speak to your local representative as soon as you are able as they will be able to advise you on your options.

If a member of the public verbally or physically assaults me do I have any protection and what should I do?

The employer has an obligation to ensure any potential risk of violence is eliminated or controlled.

In the event of an act of violence against you by a member of the public then make a record of the incident date, time and any witnesses for yourself and enter it immediately into your accident book. If you believe that your employer does not have adequate controls, in place then speak to your health and safety rep or your local rep immediately for further advice and action.

Our employer has stated that the service we provide is being put out to tender, what does this mean and what will happen to us?

Your PCS union branch committee and full time officer should already be aware that management were considering privatising the service you provide.

They should already be engaged in full consultation with management and insisting that they are kept informed of any proposals and developments. Therefore, this should not be a complete surprise to you as there already should have been some indication of this. If you have not heard anything previously speak to you PCS representative as soon as possible.

Your branch committee should be referring to the PCS toolkit on privatisation to guide them on how they should be proceeding.

As a result, your branch committee will probably call on you to take part in various activities to try and stop the privatisation or encourage your own management to tender an in house bid.

If an outside private company does win the tender and your employment is transferred over to this new employer then you have some protection under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings: Protection of Employees).

This means that your continuity of service, and terms and conditions of employment are preserved, except for your pension. Your new employer would have to offer you access to a comparable pension scheme.

Your current pension will be frozen until you reach retirement age.

I am worried that my manager is going to instigate disciplinary procedures against me. What can I do?

Contact your PCS rep immediately. Once the context of your concern is known, you will then be advised on the course of action you should take and can rely on support and representation from PCS.

My department is about to undergo a review and possible restructuring. What should I expect and is there anything I can do to safeguard my job?

Your PCS branch should have received advance warning of this and should be consulted by HR and the department’s management through all the stages.

The branch should also be communicating with PCS members affected and asking for feedback and information from all of you.

Restructuring sometimes means a change to job remits or even loss of jobs, it is therefore essential that your representatives are briefed by you on the work of the department, the impact of a reduction in posts and possible input on how improvements can be made without more drastic measures being taken. This is so that they are fully informed for the discussion and negotiation with the employer.