PCS welcomes landmark insourcing win for 2,000 members

PCS has welcomed the decision to insource facilities management contracts managed by the Government Property Agency, bringing around 2,000 workers back into the Civil Service.

The workers, employed in a wide range of essential roles including catering, security officers, cleaners, porters, engineers, plumbers, electricians, receptionists, handypersons and messenger services, deliver vital support to departments including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Department for Education (DfE) and the Cabinet Office.

PCS said that “for too long, many outsourced workers have faced a race to the bottom on pay, terms and conditions, despite carrying out essential work alongside directly employed civil servants. This insourcing decision will improve the working lives of hundreds of members and help address the inequalities that have developed through outsourcing.

As well as improving conditions for workers, insourcing will deliver better value for money. PCS has long campaigned for services to be delivered directly for the public good, generating savings for the taxpayer and improving accountability, rather than allowing private companies to extract profits from publicly funded contracts.”

The move will also tackle the multi-tier workforce that currently exists across government workplaces. Bringing these workers in-house will create greater parity, coherence and fairness in pay, terms and conditions, ensuring staff are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

This announcement is proof that insourcing can be done and should act as a catalyst for further action across government. Starting with ministers turning their attention to Capita’s shambolic handling of the civil service pension scheme.

PCS general secretary, Fran Heathcote says:

This is a huge victory for members and a clear vindication of our campaign for insourcing.

For too long, outsourced workers have faced lower pay, poorer conditions and been treated as second-class citizens. Bringing around 2,000 workers back into the Civil Service will help end that unfairness, deliver better value for taxpayers and show that public services work best when they are delivered in the public interest, not for private profit.

This achievement demonstrates what can be won through collective action. The Government should now apply the same approach to other outsourced services, including pension administration.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: 

This is an important step towards the government’s promise to deliver the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation.

It shows what’s possible when the government listens to and works with unions, identifying contracts which are failing workers and the services they deliver – and securing change.

For far too long, rampant outsourcing has led to shareholders cashing in at the expense of workers and our public services. 

The scourge of outsourcing can be felt all the way through our public sector – from fragmentation of services to two-tier workforces, where outsourced staff are on worse pay and conditions than their directly employed colleagues.

The government has promised to right this wrong by bringing outsourced public contracts back in house. Today’s announcement should be a signal of intent – and kickstart a serious programme of insourcing contracts across the public sector.

This will ultimately stop money being wasted and help rebuild our public services, so they are run for public good – not for profit.