Please see the following questions to the candidates in the 2017 General Election. The Branch will post any replies that we receive here on this site:
“PCS is not affiliated to any Political Party however we are interested in the views of candidates in elections; particularly in relation to the issues that impact the members.
Below are a series of questions relating to key issues that impact PCS members on the Fylde. I would be grateful if you could consider responding to the questions with your views and to return them to me, prior to 1st June 2017. Your responses will be posted on the Branch Website, http://pcs-fylde.blogspot.co.uk/, in order that the members can view the responses from the candidates. The Branch has circa 2,500 members living on the Fylde. The details may also appear on the PCS North West Region Website.
Section A – Jobs Losses
Background: In 2010 there were 6,310,000 workers employed in the Public Sector, this reduced in 2015 to 5, 440, 00, and currently there are 5, 400, 000.
In 2010 there were 500, 000 workers employed in the Civil Service, this reduced in 2015 to 417, 000, and currently there are 416, 000.
In 2010 there were 128, 174 workers employed in the Department of Work and Pensions this reduced in 2015 to 87, 983, and currently there are 86, 890.
Despite recent recruitment exercises at Warbreck and Ryscar House over the last 10 years thousands of jobs have been lost from the Department for Work and Pensions on the Fylde.
- Do you agree that we should be investing in jobs in the Fylde?
- If you agree with 1 above what are you prepared to do to achieve this?
- Do you believe that the loss of public sector jobs on the Fylde Coast is a price worth paying to “balance the economy”?
Section B – Civil Service Compensation Scheme
Background: There are associated costs with job losses, in terms of compensations in the Civil Service there is the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.
When the changes to the Compensation Scheme was being negotiated in 2011, then Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude told the House of Commons: “I hope that we achieve something…more sustainable and more long term by having an agreed long-term comprehensive settlement.”
In a later debate, he added: “The terms of that agreement represent a reasonable outcome for everyone involved and deliver on our objectives of being fair, affordable and sustainable.”
In 2016 there was an imposed new Civil Service Compensation Scheme with detriments as follows:
- the CSCS terms to be reformed to produce significant savings;
- the tariff to be three weeks per year of service (whereas it used to be four)
- the limits for both VE and VR exits to be set at 15 months’ salary; (whereas it used to be 21 months and 12 months)
and · for employer funded early access to unreduced pension to be available from age 55 (and then track 10 years behind state pension age).
- Do you agree that Governments should be required to honour commitments that they make?
- Do you agree that the cheaper it is to exit staff, the more staff will be exited?
Section C – Pay
Background: It is a myth that civil servants are paid more than those in the private sector. Comparisons are difficult because many of the traditionally lower paid jobs in the civil service like security officers, messengers and cleaners have been outsourced from the public to the private sector.
However, when pay for civil service jobs is compared with jobs with similar skills and responsibilities in the private sector, the pay of civil servants is significantly lower.
Since 2010 Public Sector workers (including Civil Servants) have been subjected to both job losses (see A above) and extreme pay restraint (pay freezes and below inflation pay rises).
- Do you agree that as we are now eventually starting to see the beginning of the end of the impact of the longest recession in living memory, a recession created by speculation in the banking sector, the workers in Britain need a pay rise?
- Do you agree that public sector wages increases should be capped at 1%?
- Do you think it is correct to link pay restraint to job losses?”
PCS Fylde 