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Oracle September 2008

Contents

Editorial

There’s been little to feel positive about for the majority of PCS members in HMRC since Gordon Brown announced the first 12,500 cuts back in 2004.

Four years on and we’ve seen the figure of projected cuts double, over 200 offices proposed for closure and the overall value of our pay cut, as rises in the rate for the job have failed to keep up with inflation.

The decisions that confirmed plans to close 50 offices in the East Midlands, North East, South East and West Midlands will do little to reassure staff in the 95 offices earmarked for closure in the proposals published on 11 June.

In the past, Oracle has featured reports from a number of offices involved in the Urban Centre reviews so, as the Cluster and Individual reviews get underway, we’ve gone back to find out what’s happened since decisions were announced.

We’ve visited offices where local campaigns failed to prevent a closure decision and have found that even after the bad news, local PCS reps have continued to work hard to make a positive difference for members hit hardest by WFC.

In this issue, you’ll find reports from Chichester and Melton Mowbray and in October we’ll report on the experiences of Mansfield and Bath. This edition also reports from Bootle and Southend to highlight the issues that face members even when HMRC is staying put.

This issue also reports on the ongoing pay campaign in theVOA. As this edition goes to press we are waiting to see what’s on offer for 2008 in all parts of the Group.

The HMRC offer is months later than members expect and as I write this, all indications are that when it comes it will not be acceptable. By the time this is published, we are likely to have had a final offer which fails to deliver for everyone, with those at the max offered less than they’ll need to keep up with inflation and those below the max getting far less than they’ll need for commitments on pay progression to be honoured.

With the Treasury keeping tight controls on pay remits for all public servants, pay offers are being rejected across PCS. If the GEC recommend rejecting the offer, we will need to tie our group campaign in with the national pay campaign. Please use your vote to make sure that your voice is heard.

Lorna Merry

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STOP PRESS

As HMRC announce the proposed closure of a further 50 offices, PCS branches, reps and members in the threatened areas continue campaigns to protect their futures.

As well as our coverage of the excellent campaigns featured in this edition, we must also pay tribute to all other WFC campaigns taking place nationwide.

In particular, these have caught our eye: Weston Super Mare: 6000 leaflets distributed, John Pemrose MP and local councillors in suppport. Frome 1000 signature petition, support from David Heath MP Farnham proposed movement of staff will cost HMRC ‘a small fortune in excess fares and London T&C’ Norwich Taxes 1000 sticks of rock lettered ‘save local jobs’ given free to the public. See Oracle next month for more reports.

Valuation Office Agency
VOA action

Valuation Office Agency Committee member Kevin Williams reports

Members in the valuation office agency (VOA) have been involved in discontinuous action since February after the agency imposed a below inflation pay award in January where 90% of members received pay increases at or below the August 2007 CPI of 2.5%, with some members getting no rise at all.

The valuation office agency committee (VOAC) pay team explored all options, including meeting the Financial Secretary to the Treasury in an attempt to secure more money.

When balloted, 82% of members voted for action short of a strike. On 24th April, VOA members were in full support of the action taken by national PCS and other public sector unions. Further action was taken on 16th and 17th July. (see front cover).

These actions have been well-supported and include part-day walk outs, leaving work early, working to pay band, non-cooperation, withdrawal of goodwill, a postcard campaign to the Treasury, votes of no confidence in the Chief Executive from every location, and letters to MPs.

The VOA is an executive agency of HMRC but VOA members are paid significantly less than colleagues in the parent department. Early next year the VOA will take on tasks currently undertaken by the rent service, absorbing their staff who are paid considerably more than the VOA members they will be working alongside.

The 2007 pay imposition was set against the VOA’s proposals to close offices, reductions in office space, reviews of some local office functions, pilots on centralising processing work, making staff more mobile and removing caseworker support.

Whilst reducing staff numbers the agency has turned more to the private sector to fill vacancies and deal with work peaks. During this period the agency funded another flexible early retirement scheme and handed millions back to the Treasury as a result of understaffing and continuing efficiency savings.

The current 2001 pay agreement provided for members to reach their pay maximum in a guaranteed number of years.

Unfortunately many members have remained at or near the pay minima and the VOA has done little to move employees nearer to the maximum. This results in too much money being taken out of the general pay pot in the final year, leaving little available for across-the-board rises.

PCS members have had a bad year with the imposition of the 2007 pay award and the prospect of little better for 2008, together with the continual, vicious media onslaught over council tax where VOA members have been compared to Hitler, the Gestapo, and bureaucratic snoopers. Outdoor staff have been vilified for simply doing their jobs.

It is little wonder that members feel undervalued and underpaid by a government that continues to blame civil servants for the current economic woes and whose policies cause real harm in terms of jobs and career opportunities.

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Workforce Change

50 more offices to close

On July 17 HMRC announced the closure of a further 50 offices in England as part of the ongoing process of Workforce Change. Of the 7,400 staff affected in the Midlands, North East and South East, 1,885 are currently in offices scheduled to close with staff numbers set to reduce by 2,200 within the next three years.

PCS has circulated branch briefing R&C/BB/310/08 with closure details, the union’s response and what members and branches can do to maintain and strengthen the campaigns to challenge the employer’s ruinous programme of cuts. A summary of the briefing has been circulated to all members affected by the latest announcements (MB/012/08).

It is particularly disappointing that the 50 offices involved are the same as those indicated at the beginning of the consultation process. Nevertheless, the union will continue to fight at local and
national levels and the GEC will enlist the support of the PCS Parliamentary Group of MPs to formally take the case to the government Minister responsible for HMRC, Jane Kennedy.

Oracle has reported extensively on the department’s distressing and counter productive programme of closures since the first announcements in November 2006 (see pages 5-12, this edition).

We shall continue to monitor the situation as it develops.
Meanwhile Group President Dave Bean and Group Secretary Peter Lockhart issued this statement at the end of their briefing to all branches:

‘Branches are again urged to continue to run campaigns to oppose the job cuts programme in HMRC. Dozens of motions have been tabled for debate in all parliaments by supportive MPs and there have been almost weekly debates in the House of Commons about aspects of the office closure programme. It is crucial at this time that we continue to maintain pressure on both the government and the department to reassess the impact that the programme of cuts is having on staff and service delivery.

We congratulate all branches for the work that has been undertaken in all areas so far. Please help to take the campaign forward:

  • Ask members to write again to their MPs
  • Use the R&C campaigns pack to produce template letters for members
  • Arrange members’ meetings, inviting GEC/FTO speakers where appropriate
  • Set up campaigns committees
  • Liaise with local branches, other groups and town committees
  • Utilise the support of GEC members and group office
  • Support members through the 121 process

Thanks for your support.’

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President’s column

After what has proved to be a hectic summer for PCS and its members, we now enter a crucial time in our campaigning both at group and national level.

Nobody has been exempt from the detrimental effects of workforce change and the derisory pay offer. The forthcoming action being called for is fully endorsed by your group executive committee (GEC) and I urge all of you to participate positively in this and in any ballot.

There is no doubt that there are a number of other issues which need tackling – LEAN, pressures in contact centres, UKBA, the future for security guards, HR policies, branch mergers and much more – all of which will involve more consultation with representatives and members. But my message is clear – by standing firm together we will remain resolute in standing up to everything ministers and HMRC can throw at us.

The GEC is intent on encouraging campaigning activity which secures protection for members at work. I personally make time to visit many offices, branches and members facing the adverse results arising from the arbitrary proposals of continuing job loss in the department.

It is especially heartening for me to witness first hand the work being done on the ground with MPs, media, local communities etc. It is also good to see innovative campaigning as evidenced by such examples covered in this issue of Oracle and reported in regular briefings. My belief is that PCS will continue to be a strong and well organised force based on a membership prepared to take action in defence of fair pay, job security and retention of a proper local office network.

May I take this opportunity to wish Mike Duggan a long and happy retirement from PCS. I also welcome Pete Lockhart to his new role as Group Secretary.

Finally I would like to thank all of you for your continuing support.

Dave Bean

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Group Secretary’s column

I hope you’ve all had a good summer and enjoyed a break. Here’s an update if you’ve been away:

In July the Department announced their plans to close 50 more offices, many in remote locations, many in areas where HMRC is a major employer. We expect announcements on the remaining offices by the end of the year. Nobody that I’ve ever met – not members of the pubic, MPs, tax accountants, or staff – understand how anybody will benefit from closing many of these offices. And do you know anybody who thinks that getting rid of the staff who collect taxes is a bright idea?

In August all PCS members were asked to cast their vote in favour of the national and departmental agreements on job security. These agreements are about protecting our members’ jobs. They come as a direct result of the pressure we have brought to bear on both the government and department, through hard bargaining supported by solid membership campaigning.

And you will have seen the details of the HMRC pay offer for 2008. How better to motivate hard working, loyal HMRC staff than offer an increase worth an average of 2.79%? And whilst the offer for our colleagues in the VOA is better it’s still a far cry from a guarantee of a cost of living increase for most of our members, and comes hard on the heels of an imposed pay offer for 2007.

So, in case you missed it: offices are closing, jobs are going, pay offers are insulting, and working conditions are getting worse. The question for us now is what are we going to do about it?

Thousands upon thousands of PCS members in HMRC have been campaigning to save offices and keep jobs local. The groundswell of support for these campaigns has been electrifying. I’ve met some of the single most inspirational campaigners in HMRC in the last 6 months or so. I’ve also met hundreds of members who are extremely angry, frustrated and upset.

PCS members are being balloted now on the HMRC pay offer. We are asking you to resoundingly reject the offer and to vote to take industrial action. First and foremost this will be in the form of a departmental wide overtime ban. How is it that jobs can be cut on the one hand whilst unlimited overtime offered on the other?

From the middle of September all PCS members will be asked to vote in support of national action. The action will take the form of a series of one day strikes from October, coupled with waves of industrial action to the end of the year designed to disrupt services and to highlight staffing deficiencies and resourcing issues.

We are entering a crucial point in our campaign. The local campaigns have got to continue.

But we’re about to step it up a level. We have the opportunity to implement an overtime ban across the Department from the end of September. We have the opportunity to take action alongside our colleagues across the civil service and in concert with other public sector union members.

Put bluntly, we have the opportunity to challenge office closures, to save jobs, to improve working conditions, to challenge the worst excesses of Lean working practices, to defend flexible working and to rally support for decent pay rises.

Success in all of these areas will be determined by the strength of response from PCS members. Thanks for your support.

Peter Lockhart

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The big squeeze

Workforce Change brings overcrowded offices. Ian Mellor reports

Our on-going series about Workforce Change has so far concentrated on the union’s campaigns to keep as many local offices open as possible and highlighted the plight of members condemned to loss of earnings, a dislocated work/life balance and very unreasonable daily travel.

Some PCS battles have been won. National campaigning continues apace and brilliant local campaigns are being fought, usually with the support of constituency MPs intervening at ministerial level, local and regional media coverage, local councillors and businesses and the public at large signing petitions and writing to the key decision makers.

Offices have been saved and members’ interests protected at a time when the entire department is under immense pressure from the government to cut costs and improve efficiency. We have argued that the inevitable consequences of Workforce Change will be a net loss to the nation’s revenues, to say nothing of a poorer working environment and a worsening of industrial relations for members and their union.

The war is far from over and PCS reps on the ground continue to fight hard via the consultation process, grievance procedures and tribunals for their members caught in the mass exodus to the towns and cities. What may be in store for them when they join their colleagues in the larger, urban offices?

PCS reps are now increasingly concerned about problems which will certainly occur when thousands of staff around the country are shoehorned into sites which are not yet equipped for a huge influx of new staff. Many buildings have neither the space, the infrastructure nor the back up facilities to cope with a vastly increased work force without creating problems for staff, for their health, safety and convenience and for the work itself. There are genuine concerns that revenue streams will decline whilst the upheaval continues.

For those on the receiving end, already installed in the larger urban centres and who may have breathed sighs of relief that at least their jobs were safe, working conditions may well move into steep decline as new colleagues flood in from outlying areas. Space, facilities and staff well-being will be at a premium.

If the employer’s attempts to ease the situation amount to little more than the creation of so called ‘hotdesks, villages and nomads’ (see Oracle June) then staff will soon be very unhappy indeed. Morale will plunge further and low morale does not equate with increased efficiency.

Meanwhile, it is also becoming clear that in some cases, the employer has not consulted fairly with the union and has withheld crucial information about specific site closures from PCS reps.

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Southend

We reported on the situation in Southend in our April edition. PCS is worried that even more than the originally announced 239 full-time equivalent jobs will be lost by 2011 as Portcullis House and outlying offices in Basildon and Shoebury are closed, and other staff relocated from Dencora Court/Tylers Avenue, to Alexander House. The future of staff at Grays’ office is uncertain, as the latest regional review has announced that it is to close, though staff have not been told what will happen to them.

The original WFC plans showed that up to 2000 staff would be shoehorned into Alexander House. Since that time the figures for the Southend area have been reduced consistently. In May, new staff-in¬post figures were ‘announced’ via a table ‘buried’ on the intranet, showing a further reduction of 100 jobs for the Southend urban cluster to a new figure of 1500 posts. All in all this equates to a decline since the turn of the century of some 50%.

Some jobs are safe, of course, and for most, the move itself will simply mean moving next door as Portcullis and Alexander Houses stand side by side. The move from Basildon is considerably more problematic but may be within reasonable daily travel (RDT) for some staff. Fewer parking spaces on the estate with increased charges will be a major problem for many, however.

PCS in Southend are well aware that the move is fraught with problems. Assistant branch secretary Adam Feakins takes up the story: ‘We have several concerns. From a health and safety perspective the issue concerns the movement of large numbers of people. We must ensure that our disabled members are not disadvantaged over requirements for specific desks and equipment. Some have already moved and are now without their specialised facilities, albeit temporarily, according to the department.

‘There will also be contractors at work in Alexander House carrying out construction work while HMRC staff are trying to work and settle in; that is unacceptable on H&S grounds.

‘We also wonder if Alexander House can cope with the number of staff who will soon be in there. We’ve had electrical problems in the building in the past and there’s no guarantee they won’t reoccur with larger numbers being relocated, bringing down the IT systems upon which the business relies, for example.

‘Meanwhile our members will suffer because there won’t now be enough car parking spaces, canteen and restaurant facilities are not available in the new site and there will be no space left to continue holding events for retired members, diverse communities and charities.

‘A key issue for us here is that although WFC claim to have consulted with PCS about cuts and closures, in our case, the Southend Urban Centre consultation document we were shown made no mention of the main result itself, namely the closure of Portcullis House.

We made few objections at the time simply because the demise of this huge building wasn’t included. We were deceived, to put it mildly, and there has been absolutely no consultation whatsoever on the major issue. In our view that shows contempt both for PCS and our members.

Southend voices

I started in HM Customs and Excise the day after my sixteenth birthday, 38 years ago. I’ve never seen it as bad as it is today.

The only comparable times were back in 1979 when the then chairman Douglas Lovelock put a stop to recruitment, supposedly in anticipation of staff cuts by the then incoming Conservative administration. Then as now, work loads increased and we found ourselves doing the work of two people.

Now many would leave if they could afford to do so; it’s not so much a case of just ‘re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic,’ most of us would be in the lifeboats trying to pull away. Meanwhile we shall have to put up with the poor lift system in Alexander House. They are often broken down. I have heard of people waiting for 15 minutes for a lift when only a few are working

Tony Borton

I’m in Dencora Court in Southend. About 200 former Revenue staff are set to move in the summer and autumn to Alexander House, although the timetable seems to be slipping back all the time. The uncertainty is a key issue. Add that to all the other recent changes in the department and morale is at rock bottom here.’

Ian Pope

The closure of Shoebury Computer Centre (five miles from Southend) was announced without any reference to a consultation period. It will lead to a loss of much needed administrative and technical IT jobs in the local community. It is no wonder long serving members have little or no faith in HMRC management. In football parlance we would all be chanting ‘you don’t know what you’re doing, you don’t know what you’re doing’.

 

Malcolm Sargent

I share concerns of staff about the closure of Portcullis House, and having seen how rough the rollercoaster of relocations is in Southend, I’m not confident that all businesses and staff will be happy with what they end up with. From a union perspective, they want to shove all PCS branch officers to the 9th floor, in full view and hearing of other staff and those who may walk past, so there’s little confidentiality for those who want to talk to them about personal issues. How will any disabled staff get to us, when previously we were in a secure area with attached meeting room on the ground floor of Portcullis House? It’s poor consultation and lack of concern about our needs by the WFC ‘steamroller’.

Darrell Binding

 

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Bootle

Three large sites in Bootle are gearing up for an influx of staff from as far away as Accrington (see Oracle May edition). Local reps are deeply concerned over a number of issues that are likely to affect members coming in, and those already ‘in residence’ at The Triad, St John’s House and the contact centre in Litherland House.
The key issues are:

  • Reduction in conference and learning space
  • Lack of available work stations and desks
  • Potential loss of ‘chill out’ space for staff
  • Additional pressure on internal post systems
  • Security of vulnerable HMRC premises
  • Loss of staff facilities, such as an in-house gym
  • Effective reduction in car park spaces
  • Removal of files to inaccessible location
  • Over Loaded lifts systems

Bootle voices

Bootle contact centre is expanding. We’re expecting upwards of an extra 170 staff in time but there are not 170 desks available so they’re expanding into the conference and learning space. What worries me most, and we’re keeping a strong eye on it, is the amount of ‘hot desking’ that will eventually have to occur. There was talk of taking over the ‘chill out’ area, which may well happen later, so we must watch out for that as well. There is already a small area in ‘chill out’ cordoned off for meetings.

John Smith, Litherland House, Bootle Taxes Branch Secretary

Up to 270 are moving into St John’s House which currently has 600. It was only designed to house 650 so we’ll see what happens now. In the basement the post room is to expand by up to 30 staff, but it was never designed for this kind of work and we feel the security and efficiency of the postal system will be threatened, as well as increased health and safety issues.

We’re also worried about the security of the building itself. Currently the security staff work 24/7 but that may well be reduced to just 12 hours a day Monday to Friday. The rest of the time it will be locked down. We are engaged with senior management on this issue. There is talk of privatising the security team altogether.

Steve Parry, Branch Chair, St John’s House

Car parking will be a problem because there aren’t enough spaces already and that will get a lot worse when up to 300 new staff arrive. There’s talk of a rota which will allow two days a week. The rest of the week people will have to park elsewhere. It costs £3.20 a day to park off site but competition for that will increase as new offices will be built close by.

Colin Rimmer, St John’s House

Up to 800 people are set to move into the Triad building from tax credits and others with a processing background from Regian House which is set to close. One of the problems we have, or more importantly, the department has, is no one seems to know what the big picture is.

There is no joined up thinking across business streams. Just the other week it was announced that ESS were going to move all of its Merseyside staff to the Triad as well, that’s potentially another 240 members; where everyone will fit in is a mystery.

We already have over 1000 staff in the Triad. Each of the 57 wings can accommodate 35 staff but because space will be needed for other functions, there is talk of putting between 50-70 in some of the wings. We expect a big influx from HR and learning so that will mean a lot of new training space will be needed.

Also management in the other locations in Bootle are getting rid of conference and training rooms as they think they will be able to use the Triad’s, only there is no guarantee we will have any left after work force change has taken its toll! Members are concerned that all this means ‘hot-desking’ and potentially shift working, with flexi coming under threat. Quite simply there isn’t room for everyone.

John Virtue, Bootle Taxes, Triad Building

There are no facilities on site such as vending machines or shops. There is talk of bringing in shift working up to ten at night but the only places to get food after 6 pm are some dodgy pubs nearby in what could be a threatening area, especially after dark.

Fire drills could also be a problem as we think it could take up to 30 minutes to clear the building and disabled car parking will be insufficient.

John Gannon, Health and Safety Officer, Bootle Taxes, Triad

There are five lifts in the Triad. One is currently being refurbished and the others won’t have been refurbished in time so the changes may be delayed. People will be queuing round the block to get into the lifts.

A lot of rewiring will be required for the IT.

Peter Scarisbrick, Bootle Taxes, ITT, Triad

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Shouting out to save local offices

GEC member John Davidson reports

Members from all over Scotland came together on July 22nd to ‘SHOUT’ out against HMRC proposals to axe 19 tax offices in small and isolated towns and rural locations.

As part of the Scottish HMRC Offices Under Threat campaign (‘SHOUT’), members gathered in the Central Halls in Edinburgh for a rally and the formal handover of petitions to Stuart Hosie MP, Treasury Spokesperson for the Scottish National Party in the Westminster Parliament.

Group President Dave Bean opened proceedings, explaining why PCS opposed the threatened closures. Dave said: ‘These cuts and closures are not justified at a time when the tax gap stands at over £42 Billion. These local offices are vital in the fight to close that gap which could fund a 5p in the pound cut in income tax for everyone in the country or pay for new schools and hospitals.’

MC for the day, GEC Member and SHOUT co-founder Hamish Drummond read out messages of support from migrant workers, Scotland Valuation Office Branch, the Scottish Pensioners’ Forum, Macmillan Cancer Care, the Institute of Chartered Accountants for Scotland, the Socialist Labour Party, Respect and the Scottish Socialist Party.

The diverse nature of the campaign was emphasised by the presence of members and reps from local offices threatened with closure from all over Scotland, many of whom took to the rostrum. John Oswald (Perth) said: ‘There is no reason why under the new computer system MPPC that work can’t be sent out to the local offices. To force staff to travel to inaccessible locations is totally unacceptable.’

Anne Urquhart, who had set out from Peterhead along with a bus-load of colleagues before 9am to make the 1pm start, further highlighted the difficulties with travelling to new locations. She said: ‘There are no other government departments in Peterhead – a round trip of 68 miles to Aberdeen takes over two hours one-way during peak times.’

Another who had travelled a considerable distance to be there was Geraldine Hamilton, from the Dumfries office, whose isolation from other Revenue premises in Scotland is emphasised by the fact that it forms part of PCS’s Carlisle Branch. Geraldine told the meeting that the local campaign had received very good support from the community, businesses and media.

Sandy MacKay, talking about the threat to close his office, Custom House in Greenock said: ‘Greenock is the national centre for gambling licenses; the building has been there since the 1830s. No thought has been given about the staff, over 90% of whom are women.’

Stressing the long-term damage the cuts will have on generations to come, Debbie Mallet from the Young Members’ Advisory Committee, said: ‘If these jobs are lost to small and isolated communities then young workers will be forced to seek alternative employment. This could mean a wage drop for 18-year olds from the £8 an hour paid by HMRC to the shocking national minimum wage of £4.60 an hour.’

NEC speaker John Jamieson, gave the backing of the national union to the campaign. ‘The department and the government, who have inspired these threatened closures, should let our hard-working members get on with the job they actually want to do’, said John, ‘The government claims to be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime yet does nothing but aid the criminals who evade tax by making these cuts.’

SHOUT founders, myself and Hamish, enthused about the strong fight being put up all over the country we experienced first-hand when we visited all 19 offices from 14-18 July, covering almost 1500 miles, meeting over 300 members and picking up petitions signed by local staff, customers, community and business groups in each location.

In order to emphasise the hardships that will befall these members and their local communities if HMRC withdraw from the local office, we slept in a tent for the week. We also gave somewhere in the region of 20 newspaper, radio and television interviews during the week and received pledges of support from several MPs and MSPs.
The message that we delivered and heard is that there is hope, and that by each playing a part, no matter how small, we can collectively do a lot to make it difficult for the department to go ahead and close offices.

Hamish spelled out a warning to incoming HMRC Chairman Mike Clasper. ‘Dave Hartnet (outgoing acting-chairman) admitted recently that roughly two million people are operating in the shadow economy as ‘ghosts’ of whom only 26,000 have been brought into compliance. If the new chairman doesn’t reverse these closures he is in danger of being known as ‘Clasper, The Friend of Ghosts’. (You can read our full daily blog of the tour at www.pcs.org.uk/en/revenue_and_customs_group/whats_new/shouting-out-to-save-local-tax-offices.cfm )

In accepting the 3200+ strong petition, Stuart Hosie MP, SNP Treasury spokesperson, pledged support for the campaign and called on the Westminster government to think again over the office closures. He said: ‘The minimum civil service numbers we require for independence are the same as the numbers that currently exist so we will be backing your campaign. I will be talking to the Scottish Government at 4pm today about ‘SHOUT’ and will make sure that the petitions get into the hands of the Treasury as soon as I can.’

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Winning for members

It would be easy to jump on the ‘Let’s bash Gordon Brown’ bandwagon and lay the blame for HMRC’s relentless office closure programme firmly at the door of No 10 (formerly No 11) Downing Street. After all, was it not the Prime Minister in his then role as Chancellor of the Exchequer who led the feeding frenzy in Parliament when MPs from all parties vied to outdo their opponents on the number of civil service jobs that should be cut? – ‘100,000?... not enough!… more! more,’ etc ad nauseam.

Exactly how all this was to be achieved was not specified, of course, and it has been left to individual departments to decide how government demands could be met. In reality these amounted to a reduction in resources of 5% to 2011.

HMRC has chosen to mechanise and centralise the business of collecting tax in order to try and reduce costs. It is senior management within the department who is therefore responsible for the miseries of LEAN and Workforce Change (WFC) and not the present government. If we wish to attack New Labour, let us reserve our ammunition for the ‘war on low pay’ because it is certainly Treasury remits that are keeping current pay offers at around 2% as inflation rises above 4% (and who or what is responsible for that, we may wonder?).

MPs of all parties are clear on this issue (see Oracle passim): HMRC itself must carry the can for the current wave of chaos, confusion, poor industrial relations and rock bottom morale which is life in the department today.
It need not have been like this. PCS has consistently argued that there are far better ways to carry out the principal functions of HMRC. As it is, office closures and a dumbing down of the business (how else can LEAN be described?) will inevitably lead to a reduction in revenues. The tax gap will widen: less schools, less hospitals, less care for the vulnerable and disadvantaged. Less of everything that is characteristic of a civilised society.

We have reported the union’s campaigns against cuts and closures since the first WFC announcements in November 2006. Victories have been won. Minds have been changed and proposals modified. The best results have come where office members have united behind their local reps who brought MPs, the media, local politicians and businesses on board.

Nevertheless, WFC is not going away, and currently thousands of staff and members across the country are in an employment limbo still wondering exactly when, where and how changes will be made. For most, a lengthy journey to work chasing a job into an overcrowded urban centre office is the best that can be expected. Thousands will lose money and have family circumstances disrupted as HMRC loses all pretence of ‘family friendly’ employment policies. Female, part-time and disabled workers will be the worst hit.

In the wake of change, PCS continues to fight but as the following stories show, the emphasis has shifted. Although the union continues to oppose office closures in the vast majority of cases and will continue to campaign on that basis, defending the needs and wishes of individual members has now become a key issue. It is to be hoped that members faced with unwelcome moves to far away places will take heart and see that in many cases, it does not have to be so.

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Mansfield MP condemns office closures

Alan Meale, Labour MP for Mansfield, has spoken out against HMRC’s ongoing programme of office closures and the adverse effects on national revenues that Workforce Change will bring.

Since November 2006, when the first round of closures was announced, Mr Meale has given unstinting support to the local PCS campaign in his constituency to save the Mansfield tax office and defend the interests of union members who work there.

The campaign has been led by local member Tracy Adams and office rep Darren Webber who have fought long and hard to keep an HMRC presence in the town. It is everyone’s firm belief that there is an excellent case for keeping the Mansfield office open and that local tax gathering capacity will be reduced if staff are forced to relocate to Nottingham and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, although many members were able to show that they were outside ‘reasonable daily travel’ (RDT) to the new locations, the evidence was ignored. PCS then fully supported the members who took their cases through grievance procedures which were finally won on appeal. Three members were then placed on pre-surplus status and so cannot now be forced to leave the office.

Paying tribute to the support the office and individual members have received from the MP, Tracy Adams says: ‘We couldn’t have done what we have and had so many grievance cases overturned in our favour on appeal without Alan’s input and ongoing support,’

In a written statement to Oracle, Alan Meale said: ‘My view is straightforward, I believe the forced closures of local tax offices is worrying, uneconomic and unwarranted. Put simply, such closures represent a ‘tax avoiders’ charter’ of opportunities for them not to pay their dues. Such cuts are unwarranted as they’re only undertaken by senior management who wish to show they are able to reduce budgets. The cuts are uneconomic as it costs more to collect tax by other measures and less is brought in because the skills of local officers aren’t used.

Finally, in my experience the mechanisms used to close such facilities fly in the face of guarantees given to individual employees and their representatives. With travel to work criteria concocted simply to suit the whims of management becoming the order of the day.’

We are extremely grateful to the MP for his support, and will run the full story of the Mansfield campaign in our next edition.

Alan Meale, MP

 

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Melton Mowbray

Unreasonable daily travel 

To be fair, the attractive market town of Melton Mowbray near the Leics/Lincs borders is about equi-distant from Leicester and Notingham. Yet Leicester Revenue Branch President Tim Neal is convinced that HMRC, when pronouncing on matters of location and distance within the WFC diaspora simply laid a handspan on a school atlas and declared that either city was within easy reach of Melton.

Although Transport Direct, HMRC’s geographical adjudicators are not renowned for accuracy (Portsmouth to the west of Southampton, anyone? See Oracle November 07), in this case they seemed to be about right. Google Maps in fact has Leicester slightly nearer at 16.7 miles (34 minutes in the car) and Nottingham at 20.6 miles. (36 minutes).

When the axe fell on Melton, therefore, HMRC staff in the old Crown Building now owned by the off-shore tax-shy Mapeley empire were told that compliance staff would be off to Nottingham and processing people would go to Leicester. An enquiry centre would remain however, housed in the building along with DWP and an office of the Driving Standards Agency. Certainly, WFC can’t have been expecting much argument, given the distances involved.

Melton staff, nevertheless, were having none of it. All but one of the 22- strong office are PCS members and they immediately rallied round Tim Neal and office rep Linda Bean and submitted a string of grievance procedures based on a challenge to the notion of what exactly constitutes ‘reasonable daily travel’ (RDT).

Previously, they had already fought an excellent campaign against closure of their office in Melton, based on the fact that HMRC’s withdrawal from local offices would be bad for business, but when the chips were down it was time to look at the issues as they affected members personally.

As everyone agrees, WFC and the department give the impression they are making up the rules as they go along. At first, no one could pin them down on how long a journey to work had to be before it became ‘unreasonable’. As Tim says: ‘I’m sure HMRC just split the difference between the former Customs time of 90 minutes and the Revenue rule of one hour. We argued that anything over 60 minutes was unreasonable but during the grievance hearings they seemed to be working on about 75 minutes. The times seemed to vary depending on who we were dealing with.’

At this point, thanks to high level interventions from PCS, HMRC Head of People Function Don Makepeace issued a memo which stated in part: ‘...the words ‘normally about an hour’ were deliberately chosen to avoid debates descending into arguments about seconds... the standard starting point for any assessment is an hour, not an hour plus a small margin...’. On appeal, this rescued members who were completely over the hour, but still left a number seemingly able to do the journey according to RDT.

At this point Tim argued that although the journey might be possible within 60 minutes, was it reasonable to expect staff to walk to a bus stop, take a bus to the railway station, take a train, then two more bus journeys plus another walk in order to get to work, especially in winter, in the dark, in the rain when battling with a notoriously unreliable public transport system, and particularly when they had formerly been used to a walk of just a few minutes in order to reach their desk in the Crown building?

A number of members have disability issues and members were advised to refer themselves to the occupational health specialists Capita. When they declared that the members involved would not be able to make the journeys without suffering further health problems, more victories were achieved.

During the hearings, when the panel insisted that an on-foot journey for a member from home to the train station stop was only eight minutes according to Transport Direct, Tim pointed out that the eight minutes was as the ‘crow’ flies. In reality it would take a lot longer in order to avoid walking through houses, travel hospital wards, a school classroom, walking on water (crossing a river) and local allotments. In one case, Tim and the panel member actually walked the route. It took 25 minutes.

In all, after going through the original announcements, consultation, one-on¬ones, further announcements, grievance and appeal, together with the unspoken but very clear message that they would go all the way to employment tribunals, the branch, Tim, Linda and the staff managed to overturn the original decisions which means that 14 members who were once faced with an awkward journey to work, loss of earnings and disruption to family responsibilities, have now been placed on pre-surplus status and are able to look for alternatives.

Of course, it isn’t a perfect solution, but Tim has assured the members that they cannot now be forced to leave the office and the department must find alternative employment. ‘Ideally, HMRC will reverse the decision and keep the office open. We still have a viable number of staff here. They could bring back staff who have already been moved to Leicester or Nottingham offices, which are overcrowded anyway and they could move work in. Senior management have told us that under MPPC, there is a ‘basket of work’ that can be shipped anywhere, so it can certainly come here.’

Meanwhile, their next move is to challenge HMRC on their future plans for Melton. ‘We’ll say that if they haven’t got a sensible plan for this office, then would they like to use ours,’ says Tim. ‘We’re all convinced this is a viable workplace, and it would be a tragedy if the work was moved out. Linda and the members here have worked very hard for this and deserve to win.’

In the meantime, members are still up for the fight, and are full of praise for Tim and Linda and the hard won victories gained so far.

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Voices of Melton

I started in the Revenue five years ago in Leicester but I’m disabled so after eight weeks they moved me nearer to home in Melton. Going on the bus to Leicester was very difficult. I’m registered blind and in the end I was nearly run over in the traffic. I told my manager and he whisked me here dead quick which was fine. I couldn’t have carried on going to Leicester, especially in winter. My eyesight is even worse now so a return to Leicester if Melton closes would be impossible for me. They want me to look at Access to Work, which would mean a £50 daily taxi ride to and from. There is no guarantee that if that happened they would keep up the payments, and it seems wrong to be charging the tax payer £250 a week when it would be far easier to stay here.

David Grainger

I used to work in Leicester but travel was costing me an arm and a leg so I got a transfer to Melton. To go back to Leicester now would be defeating the object. At first I was told that I was within RDT but this was changed on appeal.

 

Edmund Fiolek

(NB: In fact an annual season ticket from Melton to Leicester costs £1200 which the department would pay for the first three years. The subsidy is taxable however and could affect tax credit status in many cases. Overall, additional journey times means loss of income.)

This office has been decimated but we’ve saved 14 out of 22 members which is incredible really, absolutely superb. Tim and the rest of the Leicester branch have done sterling work. There are still a few that we’ve not managed to save as yet but we’re hoping to do something maybe on compassionate grounds. In my case I was referred to Capita and after their report I was made pre-surplus. Meanwhile our campaign is not over yet.

Linda Bean

I went to appeal after they’d said I was within RDT at the grievance stage. I have two children and work part time and on appeal the decision was reversed. In reality the journey takes about an hour and ten minutes and I wouldn’t have wanted to be that far from home if one of my children became ill, for instance.

 

Sam Wells

I’m outside RDT but it’s not a very good journey really. Trains are cancelled which means that we’d not get home until very late. They only run once an hour also, so if you miss one, you’re left stuck on the station. It could make for a very long day.

 

Wendy Rudkin

I thought I would have to go to Leicester and if it wasn’t for the union I’d have given up and gone but I couldn’t then have done the hours and would have to have become part-time and lose money. Now that there are more pre-surplus staff than they expected we’re hoping they’ll keep the office open.

 

Barbara Jolliffe

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Chichester –‘a shining example’

Since our last visit to Chichester in autumn 2007, the two branches involved in the campaign to save the local office have merged into one: the Sussex Branch. It is typical of the reps involved in the new branch that they had arranged to have a PCS presence in all the offices on their combined patch on Wednesday 16th July when the latest wave of WFC announcements was due, in order to try and answer and address members’ immediate questions and concerns.

In fact just two days before the announcements were due, WFC declared a 24 hour delay, which meant the branch had to re-schedule their office visits at some considerable expense in time and effort. Given the way the Chichester staff have been treated by their employer throughout the WFC process, it is difficult not to sympathise with those who suggest that the department may well have caused the delay simply in order to hinder the union ’s attempts to provide an immediate response at local level to the latest round of announcements.

Certainly Chichester reps and members have fought an increasingly bitter campaign. Essentially HMRC need to move staff into the LEAN model office in Lynx House, Portsmouth because recruitment campaigns in the local area have failed - who needs LEAN, after all? - yet huge pressure has been placed on the 110 staff in Chichester to try and force them to relocate to Portsmouth.

Some staff still trying to carve out a career in HMRC were told that unless they made the move, their future prospects in the department could well be very limited. If they did go however, and gave up the opportunity to take their case through the grievance procedure, which would show up on their departmental record, promotion could well be on the cards. Needless to say, there is little sign that these ‘promises’ of promotion will be filled any time soon. ‘The department’s wish to get everyone down to Lynx House has failed, abysmally,’ says branch chair Nigel Elliott.

Only 12 staff have in fact transferred to Lynx House, mainly those already in managerial grades. Many have taken Approved Early Retirement’ (AER) or left on Flexible Early Severence (FES) but 38 heroic stalwarts are still hanging on, determined to stay in Chichester as long as possible. Many have been through the lengthy, spirit sapping grievance/appeals procedure, supported by their local reps.

Members stuck together and most are now on pre-surplus on the grounds that they were outside RDT. WFC refused to countenance any other argument: it was either RDT time or nothing, even though many members had significant family and/or health issues to contend with. Some members were ready to give up but rallied round their colleagues and the union. Morale now, even though no one knows what the final outcome may be, is surprisingly good. ‘It’s a strange thing, but we don’t feel as if we’re employed by HMRC any more, even though we are,’ says member Pat Harvey-Mason; ‘it’s as if we’re looking in from the outside, waiting to see what will happen.’

‘Those who won their appeals were PCS members and stayed on,’ says branch secretary Dawn Poole; ‘the majority of those who left were non-members and most of them were those who went to Lynx House. Others chose any route of escape they could.’

Another plus factor for members is outlined by rep Dee Luxford, branch organiser. ‘A good thing for some members who have gone, is that they were able to go on their own terms: they’ve gone to jobs they wanted to go to, and not been forced into soulless LEAN for the rest of their careers, being out of pocket and worn out from all the travel.’

Branch youth officer Hayley White is a case in point: ‘I didn’t have to put in a grievance, the moderating panel agreed I was unable to be moved. One year later and I have found another job in Wingfield House, Portsmouth, which fits in with my current plans to move nearer Portsmouth anyway, so I’m not being forced to move, but I’m going when I’m able to. I’d rather not leave the Chichester office.’

So, despite all the inducements, promises and veiled threats, there is still a significant body of members who will not budge. Members in threatened offices around the country should take heart. As the fight in Chichester shows, it is still possible to retain some control over one’s own destiny at work.

Dee Luxford sums up: ‘There’s a good bunch here and they have stuck their ground. As a branch we’re very proud of them for that. With the fights that we have coming up when the next round of announcements is made which will affect other offices in our branch, Chichester is held up as a shining example of how to fight and how not to give in and as long as there is still one member here who can’t be moved and doesn’t want to go elsewhere, we shall continue to fight for that one member.’

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Computers – love ‘emorhate ‘em

Assistant Group Secretaries Helen Watkins and Lewis Bevan report

Well whatever your thoughts on the technological age – computers are here to stay. So just as well to look at why you have that little box on your desk, what you are supposed to do with it and what you must absolutely never ever do with it! Remember, the Tower of London is still an official prison where people can be detained at Her Majesty’s pleasure (or displeasure to be more accurate!) and Wales has more castles per square mile than any other country in the world. You have been warned, but please read on.

HMRC,computersandyou –acceptable usage

HMRC provides you with a computer which could be considered to be the 21st century ‘tools of your trade’. At the same time like any employer HMRC imposes certain restrictions on what you are allowed to do on the computer, this is known as the ‘acceptable usage policy’ or the AUP for short. This outlines what is acceptable in terms of business and private use. Whilst as an employee you can expect some privacy, HMRC can and does routinely monitor the computer. This is done randomly, by certain words, phrases or access to certain sites being automatically flagged up.

If you have breached the AUP then HMRC will investigate your actions under either the unacceptable usage or unauthorised access policies. This could lead to disciplinary measures and carries the very real possibility that you you may be dismissed.

All three of these policies are still under with the trade union side, although the AUP has been published.

Unacceptable usage

This simply put is the total opposite of AUP but provides details and examples what you must not use the computer for. It also outlines what action HMRC is likely to take if you have misused the computer or HMRC systems. Some of this is done to protect all of us, as we are all customers of HMRC in one way or another, as well as the public.

Unauthorised access

This policy outlines the very real and serious consequences that anyone accessing a customer record without a clear business reason will face, the ultimate punishment being dismissal.

General

By now, if anyone is still awake, you should have realised that this topic is extremely serious. It is not just the integrity of the department that is at stake, it is each and every one of us too. HMRC has our personal details held on computer and any access to those details is also only permitted by individuals who are authorised to have that access.

Similarly TU representatives keep personal case details confidential and limit access to those files on a ‘need to know’ basis only.

Whilst we are still negotiating the unacceptable usage and unauthorised access, the policies in both former departments remain in force. These have outcomes that are just as serious, so if you are using the computer please ensure that you:

  • familiarise yourselves with the AU policy
  • only access HMRC systems where you have a clear and legitimate business reason to do so – accessing a friend or relative’s record for any purpose is not a legitimate business reason
  • advise your manager immediately if you inadvertently or accidentally access something you should not have
  • do not access any site that contains what could be described as ‘adult material’.

And finally – IF IN DOUBT – STAY OUT!

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Equality

Equalities networks

On the 16th April 2008, PCS launched the equality networks. Launches took place at various sites across the country. High membership sites such as Ty Glas (Cardiff), Queen’s Dock (Liverpool), Trinity Bridge House (Salford), Long Benton (Newcastle) and Bathgate (Edinburgh) were selected. Members from the equality advisory committees attended the launches and for that afternoon became responsible for trying to sign up members to the five equality networks that have been set up.
The five networks are –

  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender members
  • Black members
  • Young members
  • Women members,
  • Disabled members.

The networks will be used to issue information to members. If you would like to join any of the above networks, please contact PCS HQ - 020 7801 2884.

The year ahead…

The young members’ advisory committee (YMAC) will be updating members about up and coming events and issuing projects that have been completed.

Young members should look out for information about the projects and events scheduled for the coming year. The YMAC are currently drawing up plans for a training event for young members in or around September.

The YMAC will also be updating the PCS website pages with young members’ information and news. Past and future projects will be put on to the website to view and to download. Projects such as homelessness, the working time directive and debt awareness will be issued to branches soon.

The YMAC this year will be working on –

  • Homelessness policy
  • Organising and recruitment project
  • Credit Crunch/Pensions/Money information
  • Updating the YMAC pack
  • YMAC introduction leaflet
  • HMRC young members group on Facebook.

The national PCS young members’ committee have planned young trade unionist week for the week 15th September until 19th September 2008. There will be various activities and events held within different regions. For this information please contact your local young members’ co-ordinator or PCS regional office. You should also try to promote the activities and the young members’ network within your workplace.

The LGB (T) committee will meet twice more during this electoral year, in Belfast and Bradford. The committee will again be looking to meet with branches and/or community groups in the cities we will be visiting.

For their project work this year they will be doing the following:

  1. Investigating the departments’ apparent failings in relation to the Stonewall equality index
  2. Providing every branch with an equality action plan
  3. Producing a pack for branches to assist them with work force change and to highlight issues that may be specific to LGB (T) members.

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Oracle September 2008

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  Oracle September 2008

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