Coronavirus

DWP: Action on workers’ safety, and protection of pay and conditions needed

Jobcentre Plus, photo Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons)

Jobcentre Plus, photo Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons)   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Katrine Williams, vice-president PCS DWP group (personal capacity)

More than two million people have claimed benefits in the last four weeks. Failed Tory austerity is impacting health care workers having insufficient PPE and testing. It is also affecting the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) with its lack of IT for staff to work safely from home, and staff to process claims.

Given the enormity of the DWP tasks, you would think the PCS civil servants’ union DWP group leadership would want everyone to maximise the PCS response to the crisis. Yet we have only had one group executive committee meeting since the crisis began, and demands only appeared six minutes before the meeting.

Broad Left Network (BLN) supporters had already submitted a motion, which the group leadership bureaucratically ruled out of order to avoid discussion.

BLN supporters continued to argue for improved demands. We urgently need 20,000 additional permanent staff to support the public by properly processing and paying new claims, and the reversal of plans to close offices. As well as the following protocol:

  • Clear plan to enable every single member to work safely from home where this is possible
  • All those who cannot work from home, such as those with caring responsibilities, should get paid special leave
  • Minimise the number of members counted as key workers, while also working to properly redeploy workers to do the crucial work supporting the public, with full training and support
  • Agree the list of offices to remain open to deliver crucial services safely to the vulnerable who cannot access services by any other means
  • A guarantee not to use the Covid-19 crisis to bring in agency staff, with all the dangers – including risks to health and safety – that this implies
  • Bring outsourced workers back in-house and produce union material to recruit these workers

It is vital PCS supports branches working to protect members’ safety, and ensure that capacity of buildings is not exceeded when social distancing is properly implemented. Consultation with management at local level and national level, as necessary, should resolve most issues.

But there could still be instances where members’ safety must be collectively fought for. All measures that members take to protect their safety should be supported by the union.

Trade unionists have a responsibility to demand better government support so that no workers furloughed or laid off during the crisis should lose their overall pay.

Also a substantial rise in benefits linked to a rise in the national minimum wage to £12 an hour, £15 in London. And an immediate 10% pay rise for all public sector workers.