Support HMRC worker’s stay away

PCS members in Stoke will continue their campaign activity over coming weeks to press the HMRC to commit to firm agreements on jobs, attendance management and ending privatisation.

Further action is being planned in Stoke’s Tax Offices in week beginning 3 September. PCS members are being asked: Monday 3 September –to stay away from work from 07:00 until 09:00 and Friday 7 September – to stay away from work from 15:30 until 17:30.

Although PCS welcome the £34million being recycled into 1,000 temporary and fixed term appointments (TFTAs) rather than going to the treasury’s coffers to pay for an economic crisis not of our making, PCS believe HMRC could and should go further.

PCS says that as a minimum, all TFTAs (current and new) should be given fixed term appointment (FTA) status, meaning they have the right to apply for permanent jobs within HMRC. The civil service is increasingly becoming more casualised, both as a result of employing temporary and fixed term staff to replace permanent jobs and because of an increased use of the private sector in its contact centres.

The need for a properly staffed and funded HMRC to tackle the problem of tax avoidance and the national debt has clearly been raised through political campaigning. The need for Tax fairness is now accepted by the majority of the public, however the government are adopting a general anti-avoidance rule and the prime minister has even tried to claim that he has presided over an increase in staff levels.

Should negotiation now fail PCS members in Stoke will now join other HMRC workers throughout the country on 03/09 and 07/09 to say no to privatisation of services, to demand permanent jobs and to fight for tax justice for all.

Working class people really are “all in it together” now because we are all being hammered in so many ways by employers, the government and local councils as well. A few weeks ago it was REMPLOY workers, on the 3 and 7 September it will be PCS members taking action. 

Sooner or later it will be YOUR turn.

If you can, please give your support to PCS members on these days of action.

Visit their protests outside Blackburn House, Albion St, Hanley on 3^rd September between 07:00 and 09:00 and/or on Friday 7 September from 15:30 until 17:30 to show your support!

 

Mark Serwotka to speak in Stoke

PCS General Secretary Mark SERWOTKA is to speak in an important debate about the ‘alternative’ to the Government’s Austerity programme of cuts at the Potteries Museum Theatre on 09/10/12 (6:30pm).

The debate “A Fairer North Staffordshire – debating the alternative to cuts and privatisation” is being staged by PCS in conjunction with Keele UCU, the Stoke Branch of the National Pensioners Convention and the North Staffs Trades Union Council.

Other speakers at the event will include Dot GIBSON (National Pensioners Convention) and Roger SEIFERT (Professor of Industrial Relations at University of Wolverhampton).

For more details contact: PCS pcsdwp.nstaffs@btinternet.com or North Staffs Trades Council northstaffstuc@gmail.com

SUPPORT TOMORROW'S

HMRC Strike for jobs, services and Tax Fairness

HM Revenue and Customs PCS members in Stoke will join more than 55,000 revenue staff nationwide in a strike on Monday (25) over massive cuts that will seriously undermine any efforts to clamp down on the kind of tax avoidance schemes used by comedian Jimmy Carr.

 

The industrial action in all HM Revenue and Customs offices in the UK is over the government’s plan to axe a further 10,000 HMRC jobs, on top of 30,000 that have gone since the department was formed in 2005.

It will mean face to face tax offices will be closed and calls to telephone enquiry lines will go unanswered. In response to reports about Jimmy Carr’s use of the ‘K2′ scheme to avoid paying income tax on earnings, prime minister David Cameron yesterday described tax avoidance as “morally wrong”.

The union, which represents more than three-quarters of HMRC staff, says that as well as “wringing their hands” about the morality of tax avoidance, ministers have the power to do something about it, starting with an immediate halt to the job cuts.

An estimated £120 billion is lost every year because of tax evasion and avoidance – largely by very wealthy individuals and organisations – and because the department does not have sufficient resources to collect what is owed.

The strike is also in opposition to creeping privatisation in HMRC, as the department is currently spending £4 million on a year-long trial using two private companies to handle tax credit enquiries.

The strike will be followed by ongoing industrial action short of a strike, meaning staff refusing to do overtime because it is used to mask the effect of staffing cuts.

* Please support Picket line at Blackburn House, Hanley *

(between the Albion pub and B&M)

DEMAND TAX FAIRNESS - support the strike on 25/06/12

A VICTORY FOR ONE WORKER IS A VICTORY FOR ALL WORKERS!

Unite launches compliance campaign in mechanical and electrical contracting sector

23 May 2012

Unite has launched a national campaign ‘Play by the rules’ today (Wednesday 23 May) to police the key agreements on every site in the UK at its national meeting of key union representatives from the industry................

The union has learnt that employers are increasingly cherry picking the parts of the agreements that suit them while ignoring the rules that don’t, resulting in workers not receiving the correct rates of pay and other terms and conditions as well as the widespread use of agency labour.

Bernard McAulay, Unite national officer, said: “Unite will no longer stand by and accept some employers ignoring the rules that protect our members. In particular, we will challenge employers who are not complying with the rules around agency labour.

“The agreements state quite clearly that employers should make every effort to offer jobs on a directly employed basis and it is unacceptable that employers are flouting this and bringing insecurity and casualisation to the industry.”

The launch of the campaign follows a disagreement during pay talks with
the ECA and SELECT who are stalling on entering into negotiations on the JIB/SJIB.
Both the ECA and SELECT are refusing to meet with the democratically elected Unite negotiating team.

Unite is giving notice to all the major employers in the mechanical and electrical sector that it intends to use the full procedures of all the agreements to enforce compliance.

Unite The Union Press Release

SJIB/JIB Play by the rules campaign

Unite has launched a national campaign to ensure the all workers employed under the SJIB/JIB agreements enjoy their full terms and conditions.

The union has been made aware that many employers who are signed up to these agreements are not playing by the rules. They are cherry picking the rules that suit them and ignoring the ones that don't.

Unite is determined to make all employers conform to the rules.
If you answer no to any of these questions Unite wants to hear from you. We can only challenge employers where we have the evidence.

• Are you getting the correct rate for the job?*  
• Are you receiving the correct travel allowances?* 
• Are you getting the correct overtime rates?*
• Do agency workers outnumber directly employed workers on your site?

* To find out what you should be getting contact either your shop steward or union officer click here
Contact your shop steward or email us in confidence: neal.evans@unitetheunion.org or contact us here

NSSN Staffordshire believes that there may be many sites locally that are ignoring rules which don't suit them. Very often it's any easy way for them to increase profits at the expense of construction workers. 

If you think it's taking place on your site then please get in touch

To contact NSSN Staffordshire locally please call/text Andy on 07845893607

SUPPORT PUBLIC SECTOR STRIKE ACTION AGAINST PENSION ATTACKS on 3rd MAY!

New post from;   Public and Commercial Services Union North Staffordshire

All Out on May 10 by redstar987

PCS members and other Public Sector Workers have now started to pay. Increases in contributions for pensions are being taken from pay packets on 30/04. None of the contributions are going towards a better pension or towards making pension schemes more sustainable. The contributions are going directly to the Treasury to pay-off the deficit. Today We Pay - tomorrow we can fightback....

The government want PCS members to:

Pay more – Extra pension contributions have been imposed for most civil servants –with further increases planned for the next two years.

Work longer – Civil service retirement is now linked to the state pension age – that’s already rising to 68 and the government says it will get higher.

Get less – Changes to indexation from RPI to the lower CPI inflation mean pensions fall by 15 to 20%.

And a two-year Public Sector pay freeze is to be followed by 1% rises. Regional Pay plans mean that everyone in the Public Services in North Staffordshire could face further cuts.

We can’t afford not to TAKE ACTION ON MAY 10
Civil servants and other public sector workers are uniting to defend everything we have worked for.

The government is:
Making civil servants pay up to three times as much for smaller pensions after working up to eight more years – or even longer. And Freezing wages while prices are soaring

The strike is your chance to take a stand with colleagues from across government departments and with other trade unions across the public services.

We are demanding real negotiations with the government, not imposed cuts.

Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers across the civil service, the health service and education will be joining the 10 May walkout.

HANDS OFF OUR PENSIONS
All Out on May 10 
overtime ban begins May 11 - June 30

AND FROM THE UCU . . . . .

UCU will join strike action and protests on 10 May!

UCU's national executive committee have voted to take strike action on Thursday 10 May alongside other unions in an ongoing

row over changes to members' pension schemes.

Pension battles re-emerges – Build for the10th May!


PCS DWP North Staffs Branch secretary, Pete Rofe, has requested that we 

organise a NSSN Staffordshire meeting asap so that we can build for the 

maximum possible support for those workers taking strike action on 10th 

of May and beyond (see latest NSSN bulletin BELOW for more info). 
This vital meeting will take place; 

Wednesday 25th April at 7.30pm in 

the Sacred Hearts Social Centre, corner of Regent Rd and 

Downey St, Hanley ST1 2NZ, 

 All trade unionists welcome

We look forward to seeing you there

NSSN Bulletin: 87 Pension battles re-emerges – Build for the 10th May!

This week saw BECTU world service taking strike action over pensions and PCS 

& Unite Health announced they would be striking together on the 10th of May 

over pension cuts.  RMT Royal Auxiliary will also be taking part in this day of action, 

as will NIPSA in Northern Ireland. More workers in UCU and Unite may well also be 

joining this action and we would encourage related disputes to take action on this 

date and encourage community campaigns to organise actions  and co-ordinate. 
 
UNITE Health Workers:  http://tinyurl.com/cx4uyxb

PCS NEC statement: http://www.shopstewards.net/news.276.htm
 
NUT: The Latest Classroom Teacher argues for a pressure from membership to call for further action 

and dates on the table.  Also attend Local Associations for National action on pensions conference 

in Liverpool 16th June.
http://classroomteacher.org.uk/CTApr2012.pdf
 
Early next week RMT London tube workers will take part in 72 Hour Tube lines strike over pension 

cuts from Tues 24th April, concerns have been raised after bosses said they would continue to try 

and run services regardless. 

Strike begins 4pm 24th April to 4pm Friday 27th. http://tinyurl.com/cxkr7rt
 
UNITE MoD Vote NO to pensions offer by 18th April - http://tinyurl.com/d7ho3l5
 
UNISON now has a consultative ballot over action on pensions. NSSN urges reject the offer and 

discussions in branches and across boroughs and regions of how to develop co-coordinated action 

against pensions and further cuts.
http://tinyurl.com/d7ho3l5
 

NO TO CLOSURE OF REMPLOY FACTORIES!

Steven Collins talking about saving Remploy North Staffs and other Remploy factories

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5URlGNyXZdY

WORKERS MEMORIAL DAY