A bitter 16-month pay dispute involving jobcentre, benefits, pension and child support agency staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) came to an end today.
Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) voted to accept a 15% pay increase for the lowest paid over three years.
A large majority (87%) voted in favour of the offer that will see a pay increase of £1,950 for those in the lowest grades over three years and see starting salaries in the department increase by 20% over the three year period.
The deal also sees the controversial bonus scheme, the Performance Development System (PDS), which came in in April 2003 substantially altered from its original form with the removal of rigid quotas and relative assessment panels.
Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “The deal represents a positive move forward for some of the lowest paid in the civil service and significant changes to a hated pay performance system in the face of a senior management saying the system was non-negotiable.”
However, he warned that the union still had many issues to be tackled on pay in the DWP, including “the scandalous time it takes for people to reach the top of their pay scale”.
“Our campaign against cuts in jobs and services and the attacks on our pensions will continue,” Serwotka said.
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