Public and Commercial Services Union

At last month’s PCS group conference delegates agreed without dissent to support to members in Glasgow, Manchester and Southampton debt pursuit offices in their opposition to DMB’s plan to convert their offices into debt management telephone centres (DMTCs). During the conference debate the GEC speaker explained that the union’s national dispute committee had authorised a ballot for industrial action among DMB members in these offices.

In the industrial action ballot which concluded last week 71.5% voted in favour of strike action and 87.1% voted in favour of industrial action short of strike. The turnout was 52.2%. The GEC has congratulated the local reps concerned for their work in delivering this excellent result.

HMRC have been notified of the result of the ballot and PCS have reiterated to them our willingness to seek a negotiated settlement to this dispute. PCS hope that HMRC recognise that the result of this ballot is a clear indication that members in the affected debt pursuit offices are very unhappy with their plan to convert their offices in debt management telephone centres.

PCS are currently consulting with reps covering Newcastle, Washington and Birmingham DPOs as to whether members in these offices are willing to enter into dispute over this issue given DMB’s announcement earlier this month that their offices with also be converted in DMTCs later in the year.