Public and Commercial Services Union

Trial of alternative shift patterns postponed

I am pleased to report that following the meeting between PCS/Unite and MoD Personnel Director we have now received the following statement from the employer:

"Following constructive talks last week on the MGS consultation document, ‘Trial of alternative shift patterns’, the MoD personnel director, Richard Hatfield, the agency chief executive, chief constable Steve Love and the unions have agreed to work together as a matter of priority to consider alternative options. This work will commence immediately and report in early August. The trial of alternative shift arrangements will be postponed whilst this work is undertaken."

PCS welcomes these developments and we note the willingness of the department to consider alternative options.

We will now be working hard to secure an acceptable outcome for members and we will also use this process to seek further improvements to pay, terms and condition for all PCS members in the Guard Service.

Once the process is complete, and if and when we have alternative proposals to consider, we propose to invite every PCS branch to send a rep from the Guard Service to a meeting to consider the proposals arising from the working group that is being set up to look at alternatives.

No alternatives or changes will be agreed by PCS until all of our members have had the opportunity to have their say at our meeting and through a ballot of members on any new proposals.

Ballot result

The result of the PCS indicative ballot is as follows:

Action short of a strike

Yes 604 (95.5%)
No 29 (4.5%)

Strike action

Yes 471 (74.5%)
No 162 (25.5%)

All members of the MGS should be aware that whilst we welcome the talks on alternative options our dispute will not be called off as a result of those talks. We will be discussing with our sister union Unite the next steps in the dispute and if and when we might move to a formal statutory ballot. We do not however, intend to call any industrial action whilst the talks are ongoing.

On behalf of the PCS MoD group executive committee I would like to thank all members for their magnificent support for our campaign to date. The determination of all of our members in the MGS to defend their pay has been crucial to achieving a breakthrough in this dispute. This determination and unity will be critical as together we will face further challenges in the MGS in the coming period.

Please circulate this information to all PCS members in the MGS.

Yours sincerely

Paul Barnsley
Group secretary