Department of Work and Pensions ‘running scared’ of strike ballot

Civil servants union PCS has delayed its strike ballot over pay at the Department for Work and Pensions after the department issed an eleventh hour challenge over what it called “inaccuracies”.

PCS DWP group served notice to ballot members on pay on 12th December and on 31st December, the DWP issued a challenge to the ballot notice.

The union accused DWP of using “anti-trade union legislation” introduced by the Conservative government in 2016 to “block” the ballot.

The Tories’ Trade Union Act 2016 introduced a requirement for unions to provide employers with the number of ballotable members within every office. The union believes that this challenge is a tactical move to delay the ballot, because DWP are running scared.

As the DWP group president Angela Grant put it:

Rather than admit it is paying poverty wages, holding its hands up, and asking the Treasury for money for a pay increase, the DWP has moved to put obstacles in our way.

Why the ballot is delayed

The Tories’ Trade Union Act 2016 introduced a requirement for unions to provide employers with the number of ballotable members within every office.

In this instance, PCS gave notice of 766 offices that were to be balloted. The DWP challenge is based on its outdated HUB Strategy, which has seen hundreds of offices close, the majority of which have simply changed address.

There is no legal requirement for PCS to provide every office address, since the law works on a ‘reasonable knowledge’ basis.

DWP bosses have told PCS that we provided information that senior managers cannot understand. Yet instead of allowing them to tie us up in litigation, we have decided to pull back for a short period.

Grant added:

We will use the information they have provided to update our systems, ensure we are even better prepared to smash this ballot, then take action that will thwart their planned transformation.

A DWP spokesperson said:

We are committed to ensuring that all processes are conducted fairly and transparently, in compliance with legal requirements.

Our current pay award reflects our commitment to providing competitive pay and creating a supportive working environment for all our employees.