In early December PCS’ Young Members’ Network hosted a well-attended panel session on the Green New Deal and the role of trade unions. The UK is gripped by a climate emergency, a pandemic, and a global recession. Bushfires across the world have reminded us that climate change is not some distant threat but is costing lives and livelihoods in the here and now.

Our wide-ranging discussion covered the nature of the climate emergency and the practical steps young trade unionists can take to address it. A Green New Deal – large-scale public investment in decarbonising society – would not only help avert climate catastrophe; it would also stimulate the economy and revive many deindustrialised communities.

In recent months there has been an increased appreciation for public service workers, including PCS members.

As PCS lead negotiator covering the Surge and Rapid Response Team of apprentices within HMRC I have seen numerous examples where the work of PCS members has been deemed to be essential.

125 Surge Apprentices from across the UK will be deployed from today (4^th January) to support UK Border Force with work relating to EU Transition at a number of UK ports. The work is deemed so essential that the staff are being permitted to undertake extensive travel. A team of over a dozen Surge Apprentices based in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire will be deployed to North Kent. The work is deemed so important that these staff are exempt from the current travel ban between Scotland and the rest of the UK.

The government continues with it’s catastrophic blundering in response to the rapid spread of the new variant of coronavirus. Despite Priti Patel claiming that they have always been ‘ahead of the curve’ the reality is that they have continually tailed behind it. This is no surprise, their priority from the outset has been the needs of businesses and the economy, not saving lives. The price has been tens of thousands of people losing their lives unnecessarily.

As the coronavirus first hit in March it was teachers, headteachers and parents who were ahead of the curve in closing their schools, the government eventually caught up and closed them all.

As the cases started to rise again in the Autumn and the government introduced their half hearted tiers system they steadfastly refused to close the schools and universities, despite mounting evidence that some of the fastest growing infection rates were to be found amongst young people.

As the rate of the virus spirals out of control the government announced that Secondary Schools around the country would have a 2 week break before returning on the 18^th January. They also announced that some Primary Schools in London and the South East would remain closed. The method of selection was impenetrable, with some London boroughs with similar levels of cases being told to remain open.

NEU activists swung into action.

On the 3rd of December , the government  plan to deport up to 50 people to Jamaica.

Our campaigning, including a petition I started which has 18,0000 signatures and a letter by 92 black public figures  including myself which has been signed by super model Naomi Campbell and actress Thandie Newton amongst others. 

The UK government have agreed to take those who came to the UK under the age of 12 off but everyone else is still at risk. 

Here are some things that you can do. They will only take a few minutes but will help to keep the pressure up to stop these deportations.

• Sign our petition to stop the deportations here
• Tweet @UKHomeOffice and call on them to cancel the flight. Use the hashtag #Jamaica50
• Follow @baracuk on Twitter. RT our tweets and share the news reports there – look out for a Twitter storm on Saturday 28 December
• Write to your MP calling on them to write to the Home Secretary urgently – you can use gal-dem’s email template found here (please send any responses you receive to barac.info@gmail.com).
• If you or someone you know is impacted or at risk, urge them to get legal advice straight away – we can recommend lawyers if needed. 

Here is an article I wrote for gal-dem magazine setting out our concerns and a series of actions you can do as well as a link to a blog piece with links to the petition and letter.

Sign the petition here: 
https://www.change.org/p/stop-all-charter-flight-mass-deportations-to-jamaica-other-commonwealth-countries-jamaica50

#jamaica50 #stoptheplane #enddeportations 

Zita Holbourne

On Saturday, PCS President, Fran Heathcote shared a platform with Jeremy Corbyn (MP), Diane Abbott (MP), Ellen Clifford (Disabled People Against Cuts) and John Rees (People’s Assembly) at the People’s Assembly Zero Covid Conference, in their closing session entitled ‘Health, Wealth and A New Deal’.
Here are the main points from her speech:

“The Tories have been launching ideological attacks on our members, and on the working class, for as long as they’ve been in power. Their strategy is one of cuts and privatisation, and attacks aimed at decimating the public sector, aimed at benefiting their friends in big business and seeking to make a profit out of the welfare state. So when Sunak announced this week that there would be no return to austerity, it sounded more than a bit hollow to our members, against a backdrop of a pay freeze, attacks on their pensions, redundancies, proposed job cuts and office closures. Call it what you like, but our members recognise Austerity when they see it.

Fran Heathcote, Left Unity PCS President, looks at the issues facing PCS reps and activists in the period ahead.

By now, most PCS activists will have attended a ‘Future of PCS’ briefing. They have been held in every group, region, nation and equality forum at the start of a process to engage everyone at the earliest stage in what will be an ongoing discussion, in order to get as much input as possible.

This is taking place at a time when PCS has been involved in a number of campaigns and disputes which the Left Unity-led NEC are fully supporting, and asking Left Unity members to show their support too.

Whether it’s the ISS Cleaners in HMRC striking for fair pay, the Tate workers in the Culture Sector striking against redundancy, the Southbank workers balloting over redundancies, the consultative ballot that was held in DWP over safety in 21 Universal Credit service centres and associated jobcentres, or Driving Examiners in DFT group being consulted over safety concerns, it is clear that there is a lot going on right now within PCS.

Continue reading →

DWP putting safety at increased risk, Pull out all the stops to win the ballot

If ever there was a ballot we must win, this is it. Let’s be clear – this dispute is about safety. There have been grim predictions from prominent scientists about the prospect of a second wave of Covid-19 in the winter. In these circumstances, it would be very dangerous to extend operating hours in 270 Jobcentres and 21 Universal Credit ServiceCentres from November 30th. Yet – this is exactly what the DWP intends to do.

This is a political decision. We have to send a message back that we won’t let the Government, and DWP, play around with our lives.

This issue affects every Jobcentre member, including those who have opted out of the Employee Deal, and even those who don’t currently work in one of the offices where the employer intends to extend operating hours from 30th November, and every member based in one of the 21 Service Centre sites where the employer wants to extend operating hours.

If you work in a Jobcentre which isn’t immediately affected by the current DWP plans, please be aware – DWP have informed PCS that all Jobcentres, subject to viability, will extend their operating hours at some point in the future.

If you’ve opted out of the Employee Deal, don’t be under any illusion that this issue doesn’t affect you as well. If you are working in an office where the hours get extended, the safety risks increase for everyone in that office, even those who are not working during the extended hours.

Even if it were safe to extend the hours, there is no rational reason to do it. We’ve previously been told the DWP might want to extend operating hours because many people who claim Universal Credit also work, and might not be able to access Jobcentre services during Monday-Friday 9-5, and some other people might prefer to visit Jobcentres on a Saturday due to needing a quieter environment. Neither of these scenarios are issues now, any more than they were issues before the onset of the pandemic.

Management’s latest argument is that there is likely to be another spike in unemployment over the next few months. They claim this means they need to expand operating hours. But that just makes no sense at all. Jobcentre staff have already copedwith 2.5 million extra Universal Credit claims earlier during the pandemic, by changing their working practices. There was no need for extended hours then, and there is no need for them now.

Political pressure

The government’s drive to reopen the economy, no matter the increased risk to safety it causes, is being mimicked by DWP right now.

Left Unity are aware of DWP’s plans to bring more customers in to our Jobcentres in thecoming weeks, we know they intend to reopen medical assessment centres bringing thesick and vulnerable in for assessment, and intend to ramp up of the conditionality and sanctions regime. At a time when infection rates are on the rise and a second spike of Covid is likely, and when the economic crisis will leave millions out of work and companies cutting back or closing altogether, to increase face-to-face activity in our offices and put pressure those on benefits by reinstating the previous hardline benefit regime is disgrace. They are placing the lives of our members and the most vulnerable in society at risk.

It is imperative that we get a good turnout in this consultative safety ballot. Feedback from members is positive. First demanding to know when they were going to receive their ballot papers, and many since eager to tell us they have voted, we are confident we can achieve a high turnout. This will enable the LU led GEC to go back to DWP, tell them our members don’t accept it is safe to extend operating hours from 30th November,or extend services in Jobcentres, and demand once again that they withdraw their plans.

If, at that stage, they still insist on going ahead, we will seriously need to consider holding a Statutory Ballot, which would be a strike ballot. If we wanted to take action as a result of that, not only would we need to have the majority in favour, we would also, due to the Tory anti-trade union laws, have to get at least 50% of members voting in that ballot. We need to be in a position where we’re confident we can achieve that.

For the next ten days Left Unity urge reps and members to pull out all of the stops to deliver a huge turnout and drive out the vote in the consultative ballot. Branches need tocontinue issuing regular updates and reminders to members, urge them to speak to others about the importance of voting, involve PCS Advocates in this process, and find ways to keep checking whether members have submitted their votes.

The relaunched Branch app is a great tool in helping us to do this, and every branch should use it. Meetings of members need to take place urgently if they haven’t already. Some branches have already held successful Zoom meetings, uniting those working in the office with those working at home.

This ballot has to be an absolute priority for all of us. Let’s make sure we win it.

VOTE YES IN THE BALLOT – VOTE YES FOR SAFETY