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Questions and answers on pay offer

The following questions and answers will hopefully answer the questions MOD members have on the pay offer. We will be updating this section as and when we receive more questions from members.  

1. What is happening on our pay?

MoD has informed us they intend to pay the first element of the 2008 pay offer (including back pay to August 2008) in February pay packets. The full details of the offer are on the MoD intranet.

2. Does this mean that PCS have accepted the offer?

No. PCS has not agreed the offer.

3. Has the department imposed this pay offer on PCS members?

No. Negotiations are on-going between PCS and the department on key issues. In particular these talks will focus on the recent national agreement on pay between PCS and the Cabinet Office and the Treasury to see if this can result in further improvements to the offer.

We will also seek to address the unacceptable proposals contained in the offer to reduce the E2 and E1 maxima and pay the difference as a protected pay allowance.

4. Will PCS members be balloted on the offer?

Yes. As soon as talks are completed PCS members will have their say via a ballot of all members on their pay offer.

5. If other unions ballot on the offer does this mean that the department can claim that staff have supported the offer and implement it anyway?

No. What other unions do is a matter for their members and executives, but we believe it to be unnecessary at this time to ballot before negotiations have concluded.

The offer on the table represents a baseline, which can only be improved by further negotiations.

Our latest pay bargaining agreement does not allow the department to aggregate votes from respective trade unions.

6. But won’t the payment of the first part of the offer in February mean that any subsequent ballot is too late?

Our union is doing all that it can to deliver the best possible pay award for members.

The recent national agreement on pay represents an opportunity to further improve pay for PCS members in MoD.

It means that when efficiency savings have been identified, they can potentially be used for improving pay.

That’s a change in policy. In the past the Treasury would not allow departments to use that money.

The government has not agreed to find additional money on top of existing budgets, but now there could be access to new money from these savings, which could amount to many millions of pounds.

If and when agreement is reached we will report back to members on the negotiations and set out our position on the final offer.

The final decision will be made by members in a ballot and if necessary we will ask members if they are willing to take action to further improve pay.

7. What happens next?

We intend to agree a timetable with the department for these talks and we will publish this information to members. F

urther updates on pay will be issued to members on a regular basis and we will update this question and answer brief as more information becomes available, so please check back regularly.