PCS DWP civil servants in Leicester during recent strike action, photo Leicester Socialist Party (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
13 May was a day marked by many in Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) PCS group. Following a legal challenge launched by the group and supported by the national union, the High Court upheld PCS’ case that payment of union subs through salary ‘check-off’ is a contractual right in DWP.
This opens the door for the union to claim compensation and vindicates PCS’ argument that its withdrawal was a politically motivated attempt at union busting.
A campaign led by lay reps signed up almost 90% of the existing membership by August 2015.
This was not the first time a Tory government had attempted to bust unions by withdrawing check-off, but the numbers signed over to direct debit was unprecedented and reflects the reputation of PCS in the workplace and the commitment of their reps.
