What's On? 16 May - 22 May
Our members face an employer who refuses to give them the pay rise they deserve or pay back the pensions overpayments they are owed and plans to cut their redundancy terms all while bills continue to rise.
Now is the time to make them listen and join with trade union members across the country to demand better.
We are encouraging PCS members from across the UK to join the TUC organised march and rally in London on Saturday 18 June. You can find out more and download materials to encourage members in your workplace to join you in London on the TUC website (https://www.tuc.org.uk/DemandBetter).
Meet the PCS contingent at 11am at Portland Place to march to Parliament Square and rally to demand better.
Bring your banners, placards, voices, colleagues, friends and family - all welcome.
PCS has secured a comprehensive voluntary recognition agreement, covering all staff, at the Design Museum. This means that PCS will now be able to negotiate and consult with the museum on all important employment matters, including pay, terms and conditions, policies and procedures and health and safety.
The Design Museum is the newest branch in the PCS culture group, joining dozens of other museums and galleries around the UK where PCS represents members, further cementing PCS as the leading union for culture and heritage workers.
Not yet a member? Join online now. (https://pcsunion.force.com/onlinejoiningform)
An update on our negotiations with Ofsted, the indicative poll held at our all members meeting and the next steps in our campaign.
At our members' meeting, we took an indicative poll which showed:
- 92% of members in attendance thought PCS should re-ballot for action
- 95% of members in attendance would be prepared to take industrial action to overturn the hybrid working policy.
The next steps in this dispute are now dependent on you, our members. While these small steps are positive, PCS remains concerned that our demands over a wider exceptions policy and contracts have not been met.
Over the next week, you will be issued a survey to gauge your views on further action. Please fill in the survey and make sure your colleagues and fellow PCS members do too.
PCS is engaging in further talks with HMRC after the department issued another update on its plans to move towards a greater degree of office-based working.
HMRC has issued a further update on the moves to re-establish a greater degree of office-based working, in a message from the chief executive officer (CEO) published on 9 May. The message reiterates the measured approach being adopted by the employer in the areas of the UK, where the appropriate government has indicated that a return to office-based working is allowable.
It is essential that members engage with the process agreed for return to workplace discussions, using the Toolkits available for this purpose.
Incidents of workplace Covid exposure should be reported. HMRC are unsupportive of using ACC1 forms, but will not block their use.
Following repeated discussions with HMRC, PCS’s group health and safety lead advises that incidents where there could be a potential of workplace exposure to Covid-19 should be reported through completion of the department's ACC1 reporting form.
This should occur wherever there is a reasonable suspicion, no matter how remote, that an individual could have contracted Covid-19 within the workplace or as a result of official duties.
Where there is any active opposition locally to ACC1s being submitted, branches are asked to report details to the PCS R&C group health and safety inbox at pcshealthsafety@hmrc.gov.uk (mailto:pcshealthsafety@hmrc.gov.uk).
Welcome to PCS (https://pcsunion.force.com/pcsdigital/s/events) - Eastern, London and the South East
16 May: 10am - 4pm
This course is aimed at members who are new to the union and interested in getting involved in union activity. This introductory short course will give a flavour of what trade unions do, the role of trade unions in society and what it means to be an active member of PCS. The course is open to any member of PCS
Neurodiversity in the workplace stage 1 (https://pcsunion.force.com/pcsdigital/s/events)
18 - 19 May: 9:30am - 4:30pm
Some people are autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic, ADHD, or another atypical condition. PCS fights for all members - especially those who face disadvantage and discrimination in the workplace, and in wider society. Opportunities need to be widened and support strengthened, not cut back under the excuse of 'austerity'.
Sign up for out two-day course and become a PCS Neurodiversity Champion.
Advocates 2 (https://pcsunion.force.com/pcsdigital/s/events) - Eastern, London and the South East
20 May: 12pm - 1pm
The aim of this session is to continue to develop the skills of union advocates who have begun to carry out the role and to give them confidence in talking to members to help build the union.
You must have completed the initial Advocates 1 session.
Advocates 1 (https://pcsunion.force.com/pcsdigital/s/login/?language=en_US) - Eastern, London and the South East
19 May: 3pm - 4pm
The key to a stronger PCS is greater participation by members in the day-to-day running of the union at the local level. If you are willing to help out a little come along to this session to talk about how you can play a role in your union as a workplace advocate.
PCS courses and events are now being listed on PCS Digital (https://pcsunion.force.com/pcsdigital/s/login/). To be able to view and reserve spaces for upcoming events you'll need to log in to PCS Digital. If you have not yet registered (https://pcsunion.force.com/pcsdigital/s/login/SelfRegister) for PCS Digital, please do so here.
Get in touch
Check out our events page (https://www.pcs.org.uk/events), PCS Digital (http://pcsunion.force.com/pcsdigital/s/login/?language=en_US), or contact your local rep or regional office (https://www.pcs.org.uk/contact-us) to find out what’s going on this week and in the coming weeks.
Let us know what your group or branch is planning so we can publicise it in our weekly round-up. Email web@pcs.org.uk (mailto:web@pcs.org.uk)
Stay informed by updating your details securely online by registering for PCS Digital (https://pcsunion.force.com/pcsdigital/s/login/?language=en_US) (https://pcsunion.force.com/pcsdigital/s/login/SelfRegister?language=en_US)