Being visible and active to win the ballot

Our branch is always very visible within the office and also proactive – we’ve been heavily involved in the transformation of our site, ensuring our staff had all the adjustments they needed when we moved.

We also worked hard during and at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, aiming to resolve any issues even when on special leave or when no one had the proper equipment. Reps were contactable and visible, using social media to share updates with members and to keep them informed.

I used to be an active rep within the DWP Dundee Pensions Centre branch, but I had to give it up due to caring responsibilities. I have been an Advocate for our branch ever since, which was a great way for me to stay involved with PCS.

Our branch has sent briefings on local as well as national issues on a regular basis and talk to staff in and around the office face to face or by using Teams. The branch has also made great use of social media platforms, and we always encourage members to join our social media groups.

Our branch currently has an 80% turnout in the national ballot, and more members are telling us that they’ve voted every day. Many members have told us that they’ll post in the next couple of days, and we’ve even seen non-members join PCS so that they will have the chance to vote Yes!

I think that being visible and proactive as a branch is the reason why our members at Dundee Pension Centre are engaged and voting. The hard work of the PCS branch hasn’t gone unnoticed – our reps have held members meetings online, either on Zoom or Teams, to make sure everyone is fully informed about the campaign and what’s happening with pay, pensions and redundancy terms.

Being visible and active as a branch has really helped us get to that 80% - and we won’t stop until we’ve reached every member!