Public and Commercial Services Union

PCS wins CSCS Judicial Review

Read about how the PCS has won a major legal victory in the campaign to defend the CSCS.

Regional Briefing - 12 May 2010

A briefing has been arranged in the Northern Region to discuss the outcome of the judicial review, and the impact of this on the PCS campaign.

Marion Lloyd, National Executive Committee (NEC) member will be speaking at this event.

The briefing will commence at 2.00pm and finish around 3.30pm. Lunch will be provided between 1.00pm and 2.00pm.

All branches are encouraged to send a representative to this briefing. Please email northern@pcs.org.uk or contact the PCS Northern Regional Office on 0191 222 0330 with details of the rep(s) attending from your branch.
 

Further national strike action set for budget day
The union’s national executive committee (NEC) met on 11 March and agreed to call a further day of national strike action on 24 March.

PCS is organising meetings in every region to brief branches and reps. A regional briefing has therefore been organised in Newcastle on Tuesday 16 March at the Northern Regional Office. Each branch in the region is asked to send at least one representative, but no more than two to this meeting.

Regional action update

The Northern Regional Office would like to thank PCS reps and members for making the industrial action on 8 and 9 March such a huge success. Approximately 80% of members stayed away from work in the region.

In addition, members at Hewlett Packard at Cobalt and Durham House were involved in 2 days of action over pay which was well supported.

Over 200 attended the rally in Newcastle on 8 March with speakers from PCS, TUC, Unison, UCU and CWU fully supporting our campaign on the CSCS and around protecting public services. Media interviews undertaken at the rally included Tyne Tees news.

PCS General Secretary, Mark Serwotka, will also address a TUC organised meeting on Monday 15 March entitled “Speak up for Public Services” alongside other public sector union General Secretaries.

Messages of support

“We would like to send you a further message of support and solidarity for your day of action on 24 March. We understand there will be a picket at Westminster and we hope that is a great success.

We want also to thank PCS for the solidarity they showed last Thursday to our comrades at Northumberland College. It was great to see the PCS banner and PCS members standing alongside UCU and Unison members at the rally held at the College last Thursday on the first day of the UCU ballot for strike action against compulsory redundancies and any attempt to impose inferior contracts.

As we said in our message on your first day of action, it is vital that workers stick together to keep the pressure on our employers so that we can achieve fairness and justice. What has been proposed by your employers is completely unacceptable and it is in all workers' interests to give you as much support as possible, as you are the people who provide the services that we all rely on in our communities.

Our Best Wishes and Solidarity”

Kathy Taylor – Secretary South East Northumberland Trades Union Council

“I am writing on behalf of NAPO members in the Northern Region to convey our heartfelt support for all PCS members in the Region as they strike in defence of the terms and conditions on the 8th and 9th March 2010.

The changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme which, if implemented, will have such a devastating impact on the entitlement to pay for staff going through voluntary or compulsory redundancy, are, put simply, unacceptable. Such changes occurring at a time when so many public sector workers are living with the threat of major cuts to services and job insecurity, appears both cynical and opportunistic.

NAPO in the region sends its very best wishes and total solidarity to PCS at this time. Branches in Probation and Cafcass have been advised of this action and will be sending their own messages of support.

Yours in solidarity”

Mike Quinn - NAPO National Vice-Chair/Link Officer to Northern Region

“On behalf of South East Northumberland Trades Union Council and the Northumberland County Association of Trade Union Councils, we would like to send our full support to you and your colleagues in your current dispute.

All too often the civil service is seen as an easy target for Government, and so it is important that all workers support you and the valuable work your members do in our communities.

We have circulated the information about the lobby at Grey’s Monument to all our colleagues in the Trades Union Councils and asked them to also give you their support.

In solidarity”

John McCormack - Secretary Northumberland Trades Council
Kathy Taylor – Secretary South East Northumberland Trades Council

“Hope you have a good turnout and get the public on your side. My branch is fully behind you and we hope that the NPC/trade union national demo and rally on April 10 will raise the political campaign to defend the welfare state and the public sector, and the jobs and conditions of the dedicated workers in the sector. There has to be an urgent change in political direction to defend our workers conditions as we are all under serious threat, and it is only workers action that will achieve that, hopefully you can be a rallying call for us to unite together to defend ourselves against this rapacious attack on our lives. If we can’t help you then who will be next in line. If the public sector goes down we go back 200 years.”

Clive Hudspith – UCU branch secretary

Carlisle College Branch of UCU would like to register its support for the action taken by fellow trades unionists in defence of their compensation scheme.

Terry Jones - UCU Carlisle College Branch Secretary