Public and Commercial Services Union

The LSC was established as the governments largest non departmental public body (NDPB) in 2001.

Originally it employed around 6000 staff many imported from the Training and Enterprise Councils and a large cohort which came from the Further Education Funding Council but through a series of reorganisations, mostly crude headcount reductions, the organisation has downsized to just over 3000 staff.

Recognition

PCS did not gain recognition in the LSC until 2003. As such the LSC were able to establish pay zones, pay policy, bonus policy and many terms and conditions matters without negotiation or dialogue with a trade union.

Many of the anomalies that exist within the current LSC structures are a direct consequence of non recognition and result in many of our members continuing to be materially disadvantaged.

The history of the LSC's distaste of trade union organisation in its workplaces continues to be strongly reflected in its insistence on the establishment of staff representative groups to which it dedicates substantial resource and duplicates much effort. PCS has a majority on regional and the national open forum structures.

Campaigns

Following recognition there has been a rocky relationship between PCS and the LSC. In 2005 the LSC took PCS to the High Court in an attempt to prevent members taking industrial action and lost facing fierce criticism from the judge.

Reorganisations also pitted the LSC against the Union including "Reshaping" and the widely criticised Theme 7 over which PCS won an outstanding "YES" vote amongst the membership and organised effective strike action, and subsequently negotiated an agreement which established many members in new posts and gave them access to promotion opportunities.

As an NDPB we have been involved in all the unions national pay for protection of terms and conditions including the pensions campaign and the recent national pay dispute.

Organisation

PCS had to build the LSC membership from scratch as the vast majority of staff were in non unionised workplaces prior to the LSC.

We have established branches in every region with active representatives. Policy decisions are made each year at our group conference and the group executive committee, elected by the whole LSC membership, meets regularly.

Negotiations take place with the LSC in several different arenas including "Business as usual" meetings, pay negotiations, health and safety and equality and diversity forums, personnel policy meetings and via regional representation to regional director's. High level negotiations also currently take place on Machinery of Goverment (MOG) with ministers, LSC CEO and DIUS and DCSF officials.

Membership density has remained constant despite huge staff turnover and is currently rising once again.

Machinery of Goverment (MOG) changes

By far the biggest challenge currently facing PCS members in the LSC is the MOG changes announced in the spring of 2007.

Whilst MOG still lacks clarity about how the impact will affect many of us it effectively abolishes the LSC and replaces it with arguably a more complex arrangement. The LSC's lifespan will have been nine years through which it will have undergone several significant restructures and have lost thousands of staff both through redundancies and high turnover. Current changes are only adding to low morale and retention problems.

Given this background of ongoing insecurity the GEC is determined that assurances must be made on job security and on transfers being affected without detriment to terms and conditions including pensions.

To date these assurances have not been made and we are therefore considering effective action to bring key players such as DIUS and DCSF to an understanding with us on the best way forward.

This site will provide you with the information you need to consider your future, your involvement in PCS campaigns and updates we have on any progress we are making.

Please use the site and encourage others to do so.
 

Ruth Serwotka, group president

December 2008