Forestry Commission Trade Unions - www.fctu.org.uk
The Agreement
Protocol for Handling Surplus Staff Situations | FAQ
Cabinet Office and CCSU agreement on handling surplus staff situations (2008).
People Consequences of Privatisation | FAQ
Good practice for managing the people consequences of outsourcing and privatisation.
In March this year PCS reached an important national agreement with the Cabinet Office which provides our members in the civil service and related Non-Departmental Public Bodies with improved protection from compulsory redundancy. That agreement was endorsed by our Annual Delegate Conference in May. Conference agreed that our members should have the final say on the agreement.
The ballot on the protocols has now closed, and PCS members voted YES in support of them
How we got to the new agreement
The new agreement is the direct result of the hard campaigning and unity shown by PCS members since 2004.
Following Gordon Brown’s announcement that he intended to slash staff numbers by 100,000 in the name of so-called ‘efficiency’, we held a very successful one-day national strike in November 2004. Because of that strike the Cabinet Office established a National Protocol which meant they would attempt to seek alternatives to compulsory redundancy. However, that was not a formal agreement with the union and we were not entitled to be consulted about its implementation. We were able to stop many planned compulsory redundancies – largely because our members were ready and willing to campaign and take action. It was clear we needed stronger protection for our members. In talks with ministers and senior government officials we argued for a new agreement.
However, toward the end of 2006 it was becoming clear that they were not engaging seriously with our concerns and demands. Therefore, we stepped-up our national campaign in defence of jobs, pay and conditions in January 2007. This campaign included a demand for protection from compulsory redundancy. Following a strong ‘yes’ vote in a national ballot we held a very successful national strike on January 31. 200,000 members took part. A further national strike on May 1 was supported by similar numbers. Combined with overtime bans, local campaigning and building political pressure these strikes made clear to ministers that PCS members were determined to reach a fair deal on our campaign demands.
Our consultation with members during the summer of 2007 was followed by a strong ‘yes’ vote to continue and escalate our national campaign. Before further industrial action became necessary, in November last year the government finally agreed to enter into serious national negotiations with us about our demands on job security, pay coherence and improved working conditions.
In short, thanks to the hard campaigning and unity of PCS members we forced the government to the table after years of them refusing to negotiate.
What have we achieved?
In March this year our National Executive Committee concluded an agreement with the Cabinet Office titled the ‘Protocol for Handling Surplus Staff Situations’, and also agreement on Guidance on managing outsourcing and privatisation. Copies of these were issued to Branches and workplace reps and can also be downloaded from the links at the top of this page.
In brief, there are two related aspects to what has been agreed.
Firstly, greater job security for all those employed in the civil service and related organisations. For the first time we now have a formal and binding national agreement between the government and PCS which significantly reduces the risk that any of our members in the civil service and related NDPBs will be forced out of employment. Any member who is declared to be surplus but wishes to continue to work in the Civil Service or associated areas will be made an alternative job offer. Those under threat in one department will take priority when there are vacancies in other departments. We do not have an absolute guarantee of job security. But the agreement will provide strong protection from compulsory redundancy. PCS remains opposed to any compulsory redundancies and the national executive committee has restated its intention to reconvene and decide on further industrial action should any compulsory redundancy notices be issued.
Secondly: more protection for those whose work is under threat from privatisation or outsourcing. PCS remains implacably opposed to privatisation and other forms of outsourcing. We have made clear to the employer our principled opposition to privatisation and that we will continue to campaign and lobby against it. Now, for the first time, we have national guidance on good practice for dealing with staff where their functions are being outsourced or privatised. Departments will now have to consult with PCS and make attempts to avoid transferring staff to a private employer who intends to then make them compulsorily redundant. Departments will also have to justify any decision not to consider in-house bids.
Because we now have a formal agreement PCS is entitled to be consulted about how the protocols are being implemented, and we will be fully involved in reviewing their effectiveness.
Conclusions
Increasing the protection of our members from compulsory job loss is a significant achievement at a time when the government is planning to cut billions from departmental budgets over the next few years.
As a union we will have to remain vigilant to make sure that every management team in every department, agency and body fully observes the terms of the new protocols. We have made clear to the Cabinet Office that PCS members will act if the new protocols are not fully and properly applied in every case of so-called ‘surplus’. By standing and campaigning together in 2005 we prevented government from increasing our pension age. We now have the best pension scheme in the public sector. By uniting and campaigning we have also prevented a number of privatisations – in the NHS Pensions Agency, the Forensic Science Service and, in July this year, at VOSA.
We will continue to campaign and bargain hard for fair pay increases, coherent pay across departments and agencies, and for better quality working conditions. But on job security we now have an agreement that significantly reduces the risk of compulsory redundancy. It is something we should all feel proud to have achieved.