Members of the largest union in the Department for Work and Pensions have overwhelmingly voted to end a long-running dispute over job cuts and service levels.
About 90% of the 20,800 Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members that voted agreed to accept the offer made by the Department for Work and Pensions management to the union.
The offer included concessions on avoiding compulsory redundancies in the department as part of its job cuts programme, as well as changes to its attendance management procedures.
The ‘yes’ vote means the overtime ban enforced by the PCS is lifted and no further strike days will be called. But it does not signal an end to the union’s campaign across the Civil Service.
The government is making department-wide job cuts as part of the Gershon efficiency review. The Department for Work and Pensions is bearing the brunt of those cuts with about 30,000 jobs being axed in the coming months.
The PCS general executive committee believes an absolute guarantee of no compulsory redundancies was not achievable through negotiations with Department for Work and Pensions management. But it is continuing talks with the Cabinet Office to try and secure such a deal across Whitehall.
A statement on the PCS website said: “The union knows that the government is currently intent on pressing ahead with cuts across the public sector.
“We are not opposed to change and will work with the government to implement changes that genuinely improve the lives of all PCS members and the public we serve. But we will continue to oppose changes that threaten our jobs, rights and services.”
