PCS to begin ballot over attacks to redundancy payments

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has announced this week to start a consultative ballot on whether its members should take industrial action over changes to civil service redundancy pay. The Conservatives and Lib Dems are currently trying to push through proposals that will slash redundancy pay the (Civil Service Compensation Scheme, or CSCS. We do love our acronyms) by up to a third. Why are doing this? As a prelude to sacking thousands of public sector workers, these proposals will make it a lot cheaper for them.   

This isn't new and has been an ongoing dispute. The previous Labour Govt tried to change the redundancy pay on two occasions and the PCS have rejected them both, as it was (and still is) a breach of its members contracts. On both occasions, a High Court supported the PCS and declared such a move illegal, forcing the government to back down. Now not being able to unilaterally change workers terms and conditions legally, they're changing the law to make it so they can. The PCS have tried to negotiate on this issue time and time again, however the Govt is not willing to listen and is pushing ahead regardless. One of many examples of this is using emergency legislation to force the law through (usually reserved for wars and emergencies). Even now, the PCS are still giving the Govt time to come back to the table by merely doing a consultative vote of its members (to go on strike, there will have to be a second ballot).

"Gold Plated" civil service jobs? Hardly.

Public sector workers have faced consecutive below inflation pay rises over the last few years, with the average pay of PCS member being roughly around £22,000 a year. This year, with inflation at just over 3%, we're likely to get less than 1% and will also face a further proposed 7% pay cut in real terms from increased pension contributions (for a worse pension deal). And this is only for those who managed to keep their jobs after the 20-40% job cuts.

And counter the next inevitable points that "we've all got to make sacrifices, its a recession" or "we need to cut the deficit", read the following:

1.  The PCS, the TUC and other unions have already set out how we can control the deficit without cutting jobs and vital services. Namely by going after the £120 billion tax avoided/dodged every year, cutting the PFI debt, ending the war in Afghanistan, cutting tax breaks to the richest, increasing corporation tax to its pre-1997 level of around 50% (its now at around 23%, one of the lowest in Europe).
2. Economic theory clearly states that you do not cut government spending during a recession and that you should in fact spend. Cutting government spending these cuts to public sector will only make the economy worse, not better.. Just look at Greece and Ireland, their economies are doing great!
3. And just how are we all in this together? Executive pay is up by 55% and bankers bonuses are going to total £7 billion this Xmas, exactly how are the rich paying for this crisis? In fact, many banks are actually bet off as corporation tax has been cut. Inequality has risen dramatically over the last decade and now working people are being made to pay for a crisis we never caused.

The PCS are fighting for a fair redundancy package and against Govt plans to be able to sack thousands of civil servants on the cheap. The PCS NEC are recommending voting to support industrial action, and all trade unionists should support them in doing so.