Public and Commercial Services Union

Director General Operations Housing – Update

Members will be aware of the rumours that have been circulating around the issue of housing officers being part of a review a carried out by Modern Housing Solutions (MHS), which came to the conclusion, that MHS could carry out these roles. Our members may also have heard that MHS have been stating to staff that housing officers will be transferred to MHS from April 09.

From our point of view this ill founded rumour has caused major upset for our members, and no matter how well intentioned to keep staff informed, is not correct. PCS can conform that no consultation has taken place to consider this option and in our view the actual current position is:

1. MHS have carried out this review and sent the results to DG Ops without consulting with any of the unions who look after these members of staff.

2. DG Ops Housing is about to carry out a wider review, which will be looking at the role of the housing officer, along with others, and looking at how these posts can be strengthened, this includes how we can go back to the days of housing officers having a local footprint and interface with the customer and improve on the customer care side of the business. This was also mentioned by the Defence estates chief executive at the Whitley committee meeting and it is clear that the move away from local interaction and interface with the customer has not been successful and that this is now a priority to re-establish.

3. Any suggestion that may come out of this review that any posts should be transferred to the private sector from DG Ops Housing will of course be rejected and opposed by the our union and we would ensure that the new cabinet office protocols are applied to any situation and properly constructed in house bids would have to be completed.

4. We have already had informal talks with DG Ops Housing on this issue and are currently waiting on a formal copy of the terms of reference for this review which will give our union the ability to ensure that there is clear consultation and involvement throughout the process, which will ensure that the review team have PCS reps on a without prejudice basis imbedded into the team as stakeholders.

Our union is committed to ensuring that this time the consultation process is followed and that staff are not railroaded into a fait accompli position as has happened in the past, and that through out this process open and honest dialogue is maintained with the review team and with members alike.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Kerstine Hillary, PCS Lead for DG Ops Housing at kerstinehillary@hotmail.com. It is planned to issue regular updates throughout the review process.

Keeping members informed

The active engagement and support of members is critical. All of us need to play our part in developing a strong and healthy union in DE.

We need your help. We need fellow members to volunteer to help distribute leaflets to the members and to help out with branch work. The time involved is as much as you wish to spare. Please contact your local Branch or email Paul Barnsley at  paulba@pcs.org.uk for more information.