Public and Commercial Services Union

Our union is aware that members were been informed late last week by management that the Defence Vetting Agency (DVA) is to merge with the People, Pay and Pensions Agency (PPPA).  Our union has not been engaged in this study and we have not had the opportunity to put forward the views of our members at DVA or PPPA on this study. We have therefore:

1. Written to Richard Hatfield (personnel director) stating that the PCS DVA team has had no engagement whatsoever on this study.

2. Demanded that the consultation document that the MOD has issued today is withdrawn immediately until our union and our members have had time to be properly consulted on the study.

3. Asked for an emergency meeting with the personnel director to express our anger at the way in which this study has been conducted behind the backs of PCS and our members.

We are dismayed at the abysmal failure of the MOD to ask the staff at DVA or their union for their input into this study. We are also furious that our members at DVA York were told that they were merging with PPPA before we were and before our union had any chance to meet the study team and to put forward the views of members.

As such we are not prepared to engage in this sham of consultation on a management fait accompli. We will inform the personnel director of this in the strongest possible terms.

The PCS MOD group executive committee will be asked to agree at our meeting next week that members of DVA should be consulted immediately on our unions response should management refuse to withdraw the consultation document and to impose their solution.

Our union will keep all members informed of the progress and will be looking to arrange all members meetings as soon as possible to update you on discussions with the personnel director.