The following has been supplied by PCS HQ:Toby Lowe, visiting fellow at Newcastle University business school has provided the following details:Kittens are evil - Heresies in public lifeThe government’s fondness for payment by results is having a massive impact across the public sector.Outcomes-based performance management impacts on staffWhether it’s the contracting out of debt collection … Continue reading Targets

Sorting tax justice/Senseless cutsFictionHMRC cuts save money.FactJob losses and office closures hurt the economy and are a long-term disaster in the waiting – the loss of expertise will never be recovered. In 2005 HMRC employed 97,000 staff, by 2015 that number will have fallen to about 55,000. Yet, after staff costs, the average amount of … Continue reading Fact and Fiction

The following details have been supplied by the PCS HQ:Three years of cuts have damaged the public sector. Osborne’s renewed commitment to further austerity measures means it is vital we look at ways of stepping up our national campaign.The government is continuing with cuts that have led to the deepest slump in Britain since the … Continue reading More Cuts.

The following has been supplied by PCS HQ:PCS are spearheading a united campaign against welfare cuts alongside other trade unions and charities. Welfare isn’t about ‘strivers’ vs ‘scroungers’. But you wouldn’t know it from reading the papers. Here we bust some of the favourite myths.Contrary to the impression many tabloid newspapers give there are many … Continue reading Busting Welfare Myths

50p taxFictionGeorge Osborne said: “The 50p rate of tax is going because it wasn’t working.”Fact It would have if it had been allowed to continue. Large companies brought forward dividend payments so high earners could avoid paying the 50p rate.Tax avoidance of this sort, which is legal but immoral costs our economy £25 billion every year.We … Continue reading Fact and fiction

The following has been supplied by PCS HQ:An equality landmark has been reached as same-sex marriage has become law. The historic legislation was the result of a strong campaign run by equality groups and trade unions, including PCS, and passionate speeches in parliament. The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, passed its final stage in parliament … Continue reading Same-sex marriage becomes law

The following details have been supplied by the PCS HQ:Earlier this year PCS Commercial Sector members fed responses into an internal PCS consultation which in turn informed a submission via the TUC as a response to Coalition plans to weaken TUPE protection.PCS Commercial Sector members have considerable practical experience in dealing with TUPE and the … Continue reading Attack on TUPE

Colleagues,We have received the details below from the PCS HP North West Branch Secretary detailing his plight as a fellow PCS member and activist. John has been suspended for 8 weeks now by HP, after he sent to branch members a list of the 584 redundancies which were announced by the company in May. They … Continue reading Local PCS Activist Suspended

One of our Branch Trades Council delegates has advised us that the Unemployment Bus is in town to-morrow (Wednesday 3rd July), it will be parked near the Winter Gardens.On Friday 5th July it is the NHS's 65th Birthday, members of the Trades Council will be outside the Drop-in Centre on Whitegate Drive from 1pm to … Continue reading Info from the Trades Council: Blackpool Events

<!--[if !mso]>st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--> PCS HQ has supplied the following:PCS is campaigning to keep a fair and just welfare state and oppose the government’s brutal welfare changes that penalise the poor. We know from pay surveys that many members claim tax credits, child benefit, disability living allowance and other benefits that supplement their income. The … Continue reading Hands off our Welfare State