DVLA staff 'work for free' for rest of year
4 November 2008
The location of DVLA’s headquarters in Swansea has allowed the Treasury to exploit local employment market conditions to such an extent that the predominantly female DVLA workforce are paid on average 16% less than their colleagues who work for the same employer, the Department of Transport (DfT), located in other parts of the UK, mainly in the English regions. This pay gap is equivalent to DVLA staff working for free for the rest of the year, compared to their DfT colleagues.
The DfT has refused to investigate this pay inequality and the link between gender and pay in the DVLA and the rest of the department. The union is currently seeking a judicial review against the DfT and lodging equal pay claims.
PCS Senior National Officer for Wales, Jeff Evans said, “We believe staff should be paid the rate for the job whether they work in Swansea or Swindon. This cynical exploitation by the Treasury of local market conditions in Swansea impacts, not just on the DVLA workers but also on the Swansea and West Wales economy which loses out to the tune of £13 million each year.”
He added, “We are lobbying Assembly Members today to bring home the impact of regional pay on the Welsh economy should it be extended to other parts of the public sector. At the moment, regional pay is limited to a couple of civil service departments, but the Government is intent on rolling it out across the public sector. With one in three Welsh workers employed in the public sector, this policy has potentially catastrophic consequences for the Welsh economy.”
On Monday 10th November, more than 200,000 civil servants across the UK will be involved in a one day strike in protest at Government regional pay policy and the 2% cap on civil service awards at a time when inflation is over 5%.
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