Public and Commercial Services Union

Following intensive negotiations with the employer, new HMRC Attendance Allowance proposals are now the subject of consultation with members. The detailed proposals have been issued to branch secretaries and published on the HMRC intranet.

Essentially the proposals represent:

• an improvement on the current terms available to members in receipt of ‘Category 2’ attendance allowances
   
• a reserved right arrangement for any members for whom the proposals are not beneficial (called ‘red circling’)
   
• separate treatment of members going to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) that recognises their different circumstances and sees them all simply retain ‘Category 1’ attendance allowance terms and conditions

Although aspects of the proposals are not as beneficial as the current Category 1 terms, there are some improvements, most notably to ’on call’ rates. Also the protections offered by ‘red circling’ and the separate treatment of the UKBA bound members mean that no individual should suffer any detriment as a consequence.

The Department is looking to implement the proposals from the start of April 2009.

Members are asked to submit comments to their branch secretary in order that collated responses may be submitted to the GEC by 17th December 2008. Further information is available from your branch secretary regarding the deadline for individual comments from members.

The full proposals, and associated briefing to branch secretaries, are available to download here. 

  HMRC attendance allowance proposals