Public and Commercial Services Union

Media coverage

We got probably the best media coverage witnessed for many years as up to 80% of PCS members working for the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) stood firm and in solidarity during a three day strike in July.

Television and radio stations provided the public and our members with constant coverage throughout the UK and almost every newspaper covered the story as headline news.

The media coverage in Belfast was superb - on the first day of the strike you could not move for journalists

The dispute

The strike followed the shock announcement that the IPS 'restructuring' programme had been introduced without consultation with PCS.

IPS has indicated this programme will result in office closures and PCS members are concerned jobs will be cut to support efficiency saving plans that will pay for the introduction of the ID cards programme from 2009.

IPS Staff are also furious at the imposition of a performance management system incorporating individual work measurement procedures similar to the “LEAN” system previously witnessed in HMRC (which also resulted in a lengthy dispute with the employer).

By imposing this as part of IPS policy, staff fear it will result in members being set against members, teams against teams as they try to reach unachievable targets.

This will inevitably allow IPS to further their plans and cut jobs on the cheap. IPS management's failure to recognise democratic ballot results, which clearly called for the rejection of this system, together with previous below inflation pay deals have forced PCS members into taking strike action.

Widespread disruption

The three day stoppage effected the UK’s seven regional passport offices; London, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow, Peterborough, Newport and Durham and gained further support from PCS members employed within the 68 IPS interview offices. This action forced the employer to cancel passport interviews and delay the issuing of passports during one of the busiest periods of the year.

Solid support

Commenting on behalf of the IPS PCS Group, Stephen Farrelly said: We would like to thank IPS members who supported their colleagues in the recent industrial action. We believe that your combined action along with PCS’s negotiating stance has delivered a strong message to IPS management to re-think their plans for the future by issuing a response to staff about the organisations future restructuring plans.

The future

IPS management have given us some extra information but there is still no clear picture of the future. IPS management’s statement is clear that the future depends upon the success of IT solutions and on massively increased use of internet applications.

We believe it is foolhardy to cut jobs on the basis of vague plans for the future, particularly prior to the peak year of 2009 We call on the Agency to halt their plans for Glasgow and meet with PCS to discuss the future of all staff in the Agency: a future in which all staff are treated with equal dignity and respect.

We urge our members to stand solidly behind the Glasgow workers and to join the fight for decent working practices. As I write this article – News just received on a slightly more positive note is that during a visit to the Glasgow IPS office on 05th August, IPS management were keen to impress on PCS that there are no plans to close the Glasgow Passport Office in terms of the counter and that the service to the public would remain the same.

This is clearly in response to the political pressure that PCS has exerted both at the National level and particularly in Scotland, where our campaign clearly affected the result of the by-election in Glasgow. Management also seem to have put the date back on further closures until 2012 from their initial date of 2011. Again this is in response to the PCS campaign on jobs and closures.

Support appreciated

IPS PCS members would like to thank the other trade union members within Northern Ireland who took the opportunity to send messages of support and solidarity to our members.

Also thanks to TU members who joined the picket lines here in Belfast over the three days of strike action in particular PCS Members; Neill Boyd, Albert Thompson, Joyce Mc Kay, Tracy Orr, Louise Quinn, Cathy Larkin, Niall Gribben, Paul Growcott, Ciara Mc Givern & David Anderson – NIPSA Members; John Corey, Kieron Bannon, Carmel Gates, Patrick Mulholland, Billy Lynn, Jannette Murdock – Members of the N.I. Socialist Party & PCS RCI elected officials; Dave Cliff, Joe Twaites, Karen Taylor, Gayle Matthews and Brian Magee.