Public and Commercial Services Union

Sunday Herald: 29 August, Time we went public with cuts

No-one has ever accused the Scottish Parliament of being a lean, efficient institution, but it does at least lead by example.

It emerged last week that the body, established in days of plenty, is preparing to shave 15% off its inflated £79 million annual budget....

As soon as the Government in either Scotland or Westminster moves forward with cuts the trades unions will resort to threats of strikes, as happened with the Public and Commercial Services Union stating that it will “not stand idly by” if senior Scottish Parliament mandarins are to be axed.

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Scotland on Sunday: 29 August, Civil service 'facing exodus' over pay cuts

HUNDREDS of civil servants are facing pay cuts of up to 25 per cent as the Scottish Government moves to end lucrative "supplements" paid to attract highly skilled workers into the public sector.

...Last night the PCS public sector trade union vowed to fight against the withdrawal of the payments.

A spokesman said: "If they are trying to call people's bluff, this is a very dangerous game they are playing.

"There could be an exodus of staff.""

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Scotsman, 19 August: Unions ready to attack cuts

Trade union activists will meet next week to launch a campaign against spending cuts in the Capital.

The Edinburgh TUC and the Public and Commercial Services Union have called a meeting on Monday at 6pm in the PCS office, 20 Union Street, to discuss the formation of a broad-based Edinburgh Anti-Cuts Alliance, bringing together trade unions, community, voluntary and faith groups.

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Scotsman, 18 August: Airport pay offer will set the standard for industry, says union

Staff who threatened to close Scotland's three largest airports by striking have been offered a 2 per cent pay increase plus £500 under a deal averting the action.

Union leaders said the new offer by BAA was double the original deal proposed by the airport operator, which was rejected last week.... PCS negotiations officer Jeremy Gautrey said: "The new offer represents real progress by BAA and the unions to reach an agreement.

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Glasgow Evening Times 16 August: Letters page

JH’s comments (Letters, August 12) on Department of Work and Pensions staff and benefit cheats reveals some common misconceptions around Civil Service workers.

It is the responsibility of DWP staff to investigate and at times prosecute benefit cheats. However, the cuts in staffing and resources that have been inflicted on the DWP over the past three years have seen a reduction in staffing of over 30,000.

If the government really wants to avoid benefit fraud and generate more tax income it should look to invest in the public sector.

A properly staffed public service benefits all and the previous government’s decision to reduce the staffing in revenue and customs has directly contributed to the estimated £100billion in tax avoidance and evasion by big business. Private companies will only be interested in profit.

Derek Thomson, Public and Commercial Services Union

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Scotsman, 14 August: 85,000-strong MoD staff set to bear the brunt of cuts

Some of the most severe cuts to civil service numbers could fall in the Ministry of Defence, Liam Fox revealed yesterday.

The Defence Secretary made it clear that he wanted resources to go to the frontline and not to backroom staff as he tries to find savings of up to 20 per cent in his department.... Cuts to the civil service could also prove politically more difficult with the Public and Commercial Services Union already making clear that it intends to ballot members on industrial action over mass redundancies resulting from the government's austerity measures.

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Scotsman 11 August: 15,000 jobs to go in cuts at Ministry of Justice

Plans to slash £2 billion from the Ministry of Justice budget provided the first evidence of the effects of the coalition government's intentions to cut public spending.

A letter to MoJ staff from the department's director of finance Ann Beasley warned of substantial cuts to its £9bn budget.

The Public and Commercial Services Union, which represents civil servants, last night warned that cuts would lead to 15,000 job losses. However, it is understood that none of these would come in Scotland, where justice is devolved.

It would mean Scotland loses around £200 million from its budget through Barnett consequentials, the calculation on which funding is shared around the UK.Details of the cuts were in a letter leaked to the PCS.