Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Latest NewsEmployee relationsIndustrial action / strikesHR strategyHuman capital

Public and Commercial Services Union general secretary slams Department of Work and Pensions over management incompetence

by Georgina Fuller 27 Feb 2007
by Georgina Fuller 27 Feb 2007

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has the “worst public sector management team” in government, according to Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).

Speaking exclusively to Personnel Today, Serwotka called the DWP’s management strategy “one of the best examples of how not to do things”.

And with HR very much in mind, he added: “The DWP has the worst public sector management team we’ve ever had to deal with. It has no confidence in the workforce. No other government department has had to deal with 14 national strikes in the past four years.”

However, he acknowledged that HR professionals were stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to working in the public sector.

 audio icon

Listen to Serwotka’s comments on HR’s role from last week’s HR Directors Club briefing

PCS Union chief Mark Serwotka“Is the role of HR increasingly to say that some of the things that you’re being asked to do is demoralising your workforce in such a way that it is not in the interests of your organisation?”

He said HR professionals were often victims of politicisation and forced to advocate policies they did not agree with.

“I don’t hold HR people responsible for all our ills,” he said.

“HR people are often victims of the government’s changes, having to adapt their role to deliver political targets. The trust in Civil Service management is being taken away.”

And, in a rare moment of contrition, Serwotka reassured Civil Service HR professionals that he understood their plight. “I admire the difficult job that many HR people do,” he said.

He also condemned the tactic of bringing in expertise from private companies, which undermined existing public sector employees.

“Many public sector workers feel more demoralised and less valued now than they did in Thatcher’s time,” he said.

The PCS represents 325,000 employees in government departments.

A spokesman for the DWP acknowledged there was a problem, but insisted that the department was tackling it.

He said: “It is understandable that staff have concerns as we take forward our ambitious programme to transform the way we work.

“However, recent staff surveys have shown that confidence among staff is improving.”

Avatar
Georgina Fuller

previous post
City staff threaten to take legal action over ‘minuscule’ bonus payouts
next post
Public Sector People Managers Association conference: discount rates for middle- and junior-ranking HR professionals

You may also like

Zero-hours benefits ‘can outweigh negatives for workers’

11 Aug 2022

Royal Mail strike: Union urges it to ‘get...

10 Aug 2022

Supporting non-binary and transgender staff: four key steps...

10 Aug 2022

Personnel Today Awards 2022 shortlist: Health and Wellbeing...

10 Aug 2022

Train conductor unfairly dismissed after ‘black privilege’ comment

10 Aug 2022

Nurses set to vote on strike over pay

9 Aug 2022

Former MP’s aide unfairly dismissed after whistleblowing

9 Aug 2022

Private spaces for focused work key to office...

9 Aug 2022

Top earners’ pay soars by 10% while lowest-paid...

8 Aug 2022

National Payroll Week: A compliance guide for SMEs...

8 Aug 2022
  • 6 reasons why work-based learning is better than traditional training PROMOTED | A recent Fortune/Deloitte survey found that 71% of CEOs are anticipating that this year’s biggest business disrupter...Read more
  • Strengthening Scotland’s public services through virtual recruiting PROMOTED | This website is Scotland's go-to place for job seekers looking to apply for roles in public services...Read more
  • What’s next for L&D? Enter Alchemist… PROMOTED | It’s time to turn off the tedious and get ready for interactive and immersive learning experiences...Read more
  • Simple mistakes are blighting the onboarding experience PROMOTED | The onboarding of new hires is a company’s best chance...Read more
  • Preventing Burnout: How can HR help key workers get the right help? PROMOTED | Workplace wellbeing may seem a distant memory...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+