Public and Commercial Services Union

23 March 2009

Many of you have seen the recent Unite so-called updates on pay and the 48-hour rule. No doubt they have left you wondering what is happening. It is for this reason that PCS is issuing this clarification to all MGS officers so that you know exactly what is happening.

Pay

Pay update No 8 sets out exactly where we are in the ongoing negotiations with the MoD over non-industrial pay. It makes it quite clear that whilst PCS noted that members of staff would receive their back pay in the February pay packets, that did not mean that we are signing up to the pay deal. Do not forget that the current deal on offer from the MOD threatens to cut CSO5 and CSO4 band maxima by up to £3,000. Do you want PCS to sign up to this? Why are others content to do nothing whilst your pay is attacked?

The current negotiating rights for non-industrial civil servants in the MOD lie with PCS, Prospect and FDA. The latest “Pay Update” from Unite is pure guesswork and conjecture and, in our view, is unworthy of any responsible trade union. Not only does it show that they have no idea about the impact and implications of the MOD offer but, despite stating that they take “a very serious view on MOD Pay”, that view is obviously not serious enough to actually discover the truth before informing their members. Are Unite happy that many of their members will see their pay and pension expectations reduced as a consequence of this pay offer?

The MOD currently pays its staff as either non-industrials or as industrials. It is never going to pay individual trade groupings on a separate basis. Nor is it going to give Unite recognition rights for non industrial or MGS pay. It is regrettable that rather than working with us to fight for better pay for the MGS, that other unions prefer to line up with management to attack our union.

We will not be deflected from the real priority – which is to put more money in your pay packet. That is why we want to test the national pay agreement that our union has agreed with the Treasury.

Any attempts by outside parties to marginalise the MGS and remove them from the wider MOD will actually create a third option. That option will be privatisation! At a time when the decision to open the MGS up to competition still sits on the minister’s desk, we do not want to be gift-wrapping the service for Group 4 Security.

48 hour rule

The amended policy, rules and guidance (PRG) published by the MOD in November last year was completely inaccurate. It contained instruction on the 48 hour rule which had not been agreed by any union. Wethersfield’s position has been to accept the new wording as a license to impose changes to the rosters at only 48 hours notice. This in itself has been unhelpful and our union is completely opposed to these proposals.

The recent Unite news sheet referred to a meeting with management on 11 March 2009. It is again regrettable that Unite seek to criticise our union rather than the employer. We believe that it is vitally important that, in all negotiations with management, any trade union side in the MOD presents itself as a single, coherent team. Updates such as the Unite update are therefore unhelpful and divisive and only serve to give management an opportunity to divide the trade union side. Should this happen, the only people who will lose out are MGS officers throughout the country.

Join our union

Please be assured that PCS will continue to work to improve your pay. We will also be negotiating hard to improve your terms and conditions and to tackle attempts by management to undermine them. As we are the only union within the MOD that negotiates directly with management on both pay and terms and conditions for non industrial staff, we are better placed to achieve for MGS members than a union with limited or no negotiating rights.

In the last five years PCS has led the way in the MGS. We have fought and won the battle to defend our pensions and the right to retire at 60; we have fought off attempts to attack our right to paid sick leave; we have led the way in the fight against job cuts and privatisation and we forced the government back to the negotiating table on pay for the first time in 20 years. We also led the campaign to defend flexible rostering allowance and shift distrurbance allowance – including calling the first industrial action ballot in the MGS for many years. We will continue to defend our hard won terms and conditions

There is of course much more to do and we will not be distracted by continuing attacks from pursuing your interests. If you want to help us, we urge all MGS to join the biggest and fastest growing union in MoD.