Public and Commercial Services Union

Overtime ban: begins 6 July

PCS members have voted overwhelmingly to take part in action short of strike action in defence of jobs in HMRC. Over 70% of members taking part in the ballot which ended on 26 June have cast their vote in favour of action. Accordingly an overtime ban will begin from 6 July. We are calling on all members to support the ban and place pressure on HMRC to pay for properly funded, permanent jobs.

The key issue for PCS is the department’s continued use of overtime which we believe is serving to mask the true impact of the job cuts. Indeed, since mid-2006 HMRC have shed over 18,000 jobs, whilst becoming increasingly reliant on the use of overtime and the employment of temporary staff to clear backlogs and cover work that is not being done.

Efficiency

Jobs are being cut in HMRC in the name of efficiency, yet more and more money is being spent on overtime use to cover the impact that the job cuts are making. In some areas, such as processing tax credits and income tax, up to 10% of the overall budget has been spent on overtime and funding for temporary staff.

The department intends to reduce its staffing complement even further by 2011. Further job cuts will only serve to weaken HMRC’s ability to deliver a quality public service, and further undermine public confidence in the department.

Permanent staff not short term fixes

In a climate of job cuts and office closures the continued use of routine overtime is untenable and unacceptable. Your group executive committee (GEC) has formally requested that the use of routine overtime be halted forthwith, and that money that is currently being spent on overtime should be used to fund permanent posts.

In addition we are calling on the department and the government to stop cutting any further jobs and to work with PCS to review the impact of the job cuts so far.

Support the ban on overtime

We now need the support of all PCS members. Please observe the ban on overtime work which begins on Monday, 6 July.

No member is under any obligation to work overtime, unless it forms an explicit part of your contract. The only members who should continue to work a form of overtime, therefore, are those members who have a form of overtime built into their contracts as part of their attendance requirement.

Demands

Our demands are simple and straightforward:

• an end to routine overtime use
• money spent on overtime to be used to fund permanent jobs

HMRC is using overtime to mask the true impact of job cuts. We are now asking all PCS members in HMRC to support the ban on overtime.

Your overtime is somebody else’s job and could mean the end of yours

Support the ban. Don’t work overtime

Dave Bean - group president

Peter Lockhart - group secretary