PCS in the media round-up: November 2024

Our Defra release was picked up by 254 media outlets, spanning national, regional and local media. Another big story was our stunning Supreme Court victory over check-off. To mark this victory, PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote wrote an opinion piece in Civil Service World. Ann Rooney, the Thompsons’ Solicitor who led our victorious check-off case, was also profiled in The Times [paywall].

 

In a month when PCS had 560 stories in the media, the union responded directly to a number of other developments, including the Get Britain Working white paper, a MoD job cuts announcement, and proposed MHCLG office closures.

 

Other key stories included an escalation of outsourced government workers’ ongoing dispute, a Met Police ballot for strike over return-to-work order, and a HMRC ballot over sacked union reps.Comparative advertising spend was: £5.98 million (how much money we would have to spend on advertising to receive the same level of editorial coverage).

 

 

The Times: Cabinet minister refuses to work from Whitehall to support striking staff

 

The Telegraph: Met Police staff threaten strike for first time over return to office working

 

Sky News: Starmer rejects civil servants’ demands for four-day working week

 

MailOnline: Four-day week could save Government £21m a year, civil servants say

 

BBC: HMRC workers vote on strike over sacked union reps

 

The Telegraph: You can’t have a four-day week – it’s not the 1970s, minster tells civil servants

 

The Mirror: Civil servants call for four-day saying it could save Government £21m a year

 

The Guardian: MoD to cut more than 5,000 civil service jobs in drive to reduce costs

 

The Telegraph: Civil servants threaten to strike over working three days in the office

 

Byline Times: Civil Service Union Wins Unanimous Supreme Court Victory Over Conservative ‘Attack’ on Its Finances