Public and Commercial Services Union

Jobs not overtime

PCS in Revenue and Customs has consistently called on the department to review its use of overtime, particularly at a time when it is engaged in an accelerated job cuts programme.

We continue to seek assurances from the department that the use of routine overtime will cease immediately, and that HMRC will use any monies saved to fund permanent jobs in HMRC.

Conference decision

At our annual conference delegates unanimously endorsed the call for a statutory ballot on action to take the form of a departmental wide overtime ban in support of our aims. All members in HMRC will therefore be balloted on action short of strike action from 5 June to 26 June. The action will take the form of a departmental-wide ban on overtime.

Job cuts

Delegates to conference categorically condemned the governemnt's poorly conceived and ongoing attacks on public sector jobs in the name of efficiency.

HMRC’s implementation of the Gershon review has so far resulted in the loss of over 18,000 jobs in a four year period, with a further 7,000 jobs scheduled to be lost in the period to 2011 if, as expected, HMRC proves determined to press ahead with its programme of job cuts and the resultant office closures.

Jobs not overtime

Conference unanimously condemned the use of overtime as a method of masking these cuts in an attempt to provide something close to 'business as usual'.

By paying staff to attend outside their normal hours, normally at enhanced rates, to reduce backlogs caused by cuts in staff in the first place is completely illogical and flies in the face of the reasons why jobs were cut in the first place. It also represents a clear detriment to those members whose jobs are threatened.

The continued use of overtime offers clear evidence, if further evidence were needed, that the department simply does not employ enough people to meet their public service indicators or to provide the quality service that either members of the public or the government itself expects.

It is clear that HMRC is using overtime to mask the true impact of job cuts. In a climate of job cuts and office closures the continued use of routine overtime is untenable and unacceptable.

Vote 'yesy for a ban on overtime

It is absolutely essential that all members take the time to vote in this important ballot.

Our demands are simple and straightforward:

• An end to routine overtime use
   
• Money spent on overtime to be used to fund permanent jobs.

We are now asking all members to vote YES to action short of strike action to take the form of an overtime ban.

The ballot starts 5 June - ends 26 June 2009

Vote Yes for jobs not overtime

Dave Bean - Group President

Peter Lockhart - Group Secretary

 

Please see link above for the leaflet being dispatched to branches for distribution to members.