Join PCS

We work collectively to get a better deal for all our members across the civil service and related areas. Our strength is in our membership and to campaign effectively we need members in all workplaces, including yours.

Join

Why you should join

We work collectively to get a better deal for all our members across the civil service and related areas.

Our strength is in our membership and to be able to campaign effectively we need members in all workplaces, including yours.

When you join PCS you are supported at work.

We also give our members the skills to progress through education and learning, and the tools to effectively represent themselves and their colleagues.

As a member the first person you should get to know is your PCS rep. They provide:

  • Free advice and representation on a range of issues, backed up by our dedicated legal team.
  • Support at grievance and disciplinary hearings
Who can join?

If you work in UK government or the governments of the devolved nations you can join PCS.

We represent workers in all major government departments, including:

  • Department for Work and Pensions
  • HMRC
  • Home Office
  • Ministry of Justice
  • Ministry of Defence.

We also represent workers employed by Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), such as the British Council, and also those working for government contractors in jobs such as IT, finance, maintenance, security, cleaning and catering including:

  • OCS
  • Capgemini
  • Capita
  • Fujitsu
  • ISS
  • Atos
  • Atradius.

Apprentices

If you are one of the 10,000 apprentices in the civil service, or in another public or private sector employer, and would like advice, guidance or support with any aspect of your apprenticeship, contact your local PCS union learning rep (ULR). If you’re not sure who your ULR is, sign up or log into your PCS Digital account, or email [email protected]. 

How much does PCS membership cost?

It depends how much you earn but our current maximum rate is £21.75 for members earning more than £34,000 a year. If you earn between £18,000 and £22,000 you will pay £13.23 a month.

 Join online.

Join PCS online now

Taking a break from work? You could put a waiver on your membership for up to 6 months.

While you are on full pay, your membership subscriptions will continue as normal. However, there may be times during your employment when you need to apply for a waiver to your subscription payments. Examples are:

  • When you go on maternity leave and your pay decreases
  • When you take a career break
  • When you’ve been off sick and your pay reduces
  • When you go on carer’s leave

Once you are on reduced or nil pay, the support centre can apply a waiver to your account.

How to apply for a waiver

A waiver is only valid if there is an active direct debit on your record. It is important that you do not cancel this with your bank.

If you pay your subscriptions by direct debit, your employer will not advise PCS of any changes to your payment. Therefore a waiver will only be applied if requested by a member, or by a branch official on a member’s behalf.

A waiver means we will suspend your payments to PCS for up to 6 months, but your membership will still continue and you will still be entitled to all of the usual benefits of membership.

At the end of the waiver period, your PCS subscriptions will automatically start again. If your circumstances mean you need a waiver longer than 6 months, you can request an extension at the end of each 6 month period. When we process your waiver, we will tell you when you next need to get in contact with us if you need to advise that the waiver is still required.

To request a waiver, you can;

When emailing, please include the following information -

  • Your name:
  • Your membership number:
  • Your National Insurance number:
  • The reason you need a waiver:
  • What dates you need the waiver to start and finish:

You may also request a waiver via PCS Digital.