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DII update: Increment 3a and high grade messaging

The contract for Increment 3a was due to be signed by ATLAS in July with a vesting day of 1 November 2009. However the Treasury were not prepared to sign off the MoDâ??s business case.

Increment 3a

In a statement the Treasury said that given the current financial circumstances the MoD’s proposals would need to be looked at again.

A decision on whether or not to let the contract will not now be taken until Autumn 2009. This means vesting day will not now take place until 1 March 2010 at the earliest and may well be later. However the Treasury do still believe that the overall benefits of Increment 3a are clear.

PCS is not surprised at the decision not to go ahead with 3a at the moment. We have long argued about whether or not outsourcing all DII work really represented value for money. Given the departments current financial position this is now even more of an issue.

PCS will now be urging the MoD to look again at whether Increment 3a should be given to ATLAS and that serious and proper consideration should be given to looking at alternatives which would keep this work in-house. This option we believe will be cheaper than outsourcing.

However, PCS are aware that this delay in signing the contract will cause yet more uncertainty for staff that were due to TUPE transfer. We have now asked DG Info for an urgent meeting to discuss the implications of the delay for staff.

High grade messaging (HGM)

Our last circular reported on an initial meeting between PCS and the DII team to discuss their proposals to replace most current messaging provision with a new HGM application which would run on DII. It was envisaged that ATLAS would be asked to provide this service. Vesting day was anticipated as 1 March 2010.

PCS’s main concern was the impact this would have on current messaging staff as the MoD conceded HGM would require much fewer messaging staff. There was also an issue about whether or not all current messaging should be in scope for TUPE transfer, given this was in effect a new messaging service.

This initial meeting provided only a broad outline of the MoD’s proposals. This left lots of unanswered questions and also left current COMMCEN staff in limbo extremely concerned and unsure about their future.

A meeting was due to be held on 22 July where we hoped we would get answers to these questions. This meeting was cancelled at short notice by DG info without any explanation.

PCS drafted a letter for the CCSU to send to the DII team to protest about the cancellation of the meeting and also the total lack of information about HGM being given to staff and the trade unions. We asked for answers to the key questions concerning COMMCEN staff and for an urgent meeting to discuss HGM. (copy of this letter is below).

Their response said that further work was being carried out to review which option for HGM the MoD would choose based on ATLAS’s as yet uncosted proposals. They claimed the questions we raised in our letter were linked to this work so they were not yet in a position to answer them.

It went onto say the decision to postpone the award of the 3a contract could also have an effect on HGM. They assured the CCSU they would consult the trade unions fully on both HGM and 3a when they were in a position to do so.

Next steps

PCS will press for immediate discussions both on the issue of options for the provision of work covered by 3a and messaging, but also what will happen to staff in scope should they transfer.

PCS does not accept the MoD’s response that they are not yet ready to talk to the trade unions about 3a and HGM. They should be consulting with us at the earliest opportunity about possible proposals to give the Trade Unions some real input.

They should also be giving as much information as possible to staff about the current situation. This will help to end the uncertainty and staff may be able to make decisions about their future.

We do now know that vesting day for 3a will be in spring 2010 at the earliest. We can also assume that the planned vesting day for HGM will no longer be March 2010 and is likely to be pushed some way back.

The priority for PCS remains to keep as much work as possible in the MoD, but where that is not possible staff should not be TUPE transferred into a redundancy situation and that if they choose are given the option to seek another job in the MoD.

Related to this, PCS are currently in separate discussions about staff due to TUPE transfer being given access to the redeployment pool.

As we have any further news on 3a or HGM we will of course pass this onto members.

If anybody has any comments or would like further information, please contact Nick Radiven at nick@pcs.org.uk

 

 

 

From:

Jacqui Edwards

Assistant Secretary

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE COUNCIL OF CIVIL SERVICE UNIONS

Desk J/15, Level 6, Zone J, Main Building,

London SW1A 2HB

 

 


Keith Jefferies

Room C103, Building H4, Hawthorn

Corsham SN13 9NR

Our Ref: 20/02

Date: 21 July 2009

 

 

Dear Keith

High Grade Messaging


The CCSU is very concerned at the decision to cancel the meeting of 22nd July to discuss the MoD’s detailed proposals for High Grade Messaging (HGM).

As you know we met on 14th May where you gave a presentation on the MoD proposals for possibly awarding the HGM contract to ATLAS. This only provided a fairly sketchy outline of the proposals but it did raise some very important issues. The most important of these was that the HGM proposals were likely to lead to a significant reduction in the number of staff currently carrying out messaging work. There was also an issue about which staff would actually be in scope to transfer should the contract go to ATLAS.

At the meeting you conceded that more work needed to be done about the implications of HGM for messaging staff. You also said that the CCSU would be consulted fully on the COEIA process to determine whether or not the HGM contract would go to ATLAS. A Trade Union engagement plan was also produced.

According to your timetable vesting day for the contract is planned for 1st March 2010. However staff and the CCSU are at present largely in the dark about what these proposals might actually mean. Our members are becoming increasingly concerned about the lack of proper information they are receiving about HGM and what it will mean for them. We had hoped that after our meeting on 22nd July things would be clearer. However the postponement of that meeting will now add to the sense of unease amongst both staff and the CCSU that the MoD is simply not providing sufficient information .We would be grateful if you could explain why this meeting has been cancelled?

In the absence of this meeting The CCSU would like to know the following:

  • Under current proposals how many staff will be in scope to transfer to ATLAS?
  • Are ATLAS planning to make any redundancies or staff reductions once staff have transferred?
  • What long term job prospects will staff who transfer to ATLAS have?
  • What will happen to those staff currently working in messaging who are not transferred?
  • Will staff at risk of redundancy either in the MoD or with ATLAS have access to the redeployment pool?
  • When will the CCSU see detailed proposals of how the HGM system will operate and also the business case?
  • When will the CCSU be consulted as part of the COEIA process?

A Trade Union engagement plan was agreed at the last meeting. Unfortunately at present this is not being followed The CCSU need to be involved now in detailed discussions with yourselves on these issues and staff need to have some idea now of what may to happen to them in little more than 6 months time. The CCSU also needs to be involved in early and detailed discussions about the business case for HGM and the COEIA (something that hasn’t happened with other parts of DII). We would ask that a meeting to discuss the way forward with HGM is rescheduled as quickly as possible.

A swift reply would be appreciated

 

 

Yours sincerely

Jacqui Edwards
 

 


 

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