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Leaked document reveals union busting plan
HMRC strike in Leicester, photo Steve Score (Click to enlarge)
PCS vice-president John McInally spoke to the Socialist about the government's attacks on the civil servants' union.
John McInally, PCS vice-president, photo Paul Mattsson
"The PCS has seen a leaked document from the HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) which sets out, in some detail, a plan to smash the union.
It's redolent of union blacklisting. Clearly they want to target activists and are already taking facility time from key HMRC reps. It is linked to the attempt to set up a scab union, a 'staff association'.
The national dispute committee - the senior officers of the union - are taking the leaked document very seriously. It's an assault on the whole union that fits in with other attacks. The message from the government is 'get PCS'.
PCS members in HMRC took industrial action in the summer as part of their campaign against office closures and understaffing. Following the strike we entered talks.
The HMRC PCS magazine, Oracle, reported a factual account of how more jobs had been secured at Dundee HMRC office through a strike campaign. Bizarrely, management used the report as an excuse to leave talks.
Facility time
After management's withdrawal from talks, many senior HMRC reps received letters telling them they'd get no more facility time until April 2015.
In an attempt to stop the union operating, the Cabinet Office has taken away the facilities of senior national elected lay officers, despite PCS offering to pay their wages, a common practice. This is a politically motivated attack to target the union's leadership and to deny PCS the right to national bargaining.
This is a hugely important battle, not just for PCS members, but for the whole of the trade union movement. The right wing fanatics in this government will never be satisfied.
They want to break strong unions like RMT and PCS, but that doesn't mean they're going to leave other unions alone. They don't want to see any effective trade unions in this country.
We have released this leaked document and made it clear we'll continue to fight in HMRC. We're holding members' meetings to explain the issues. We believe there will be outrage among members and workers generally.
We also will engage in talks with HMRC, but not with a gun being held to our head. We also want them to address the legitimate demands of the PCS HMRC jobs and staffing campaign - how can rich tax evaders be dealt with when HMRC are cutting staff?
Con-Dem hypocrisy
The PCS has consistently exposed the Con-Dems' behaviour around tax evasion and avoidance. Why have Tory Cabinet Office minster Francis Maude and the HMRC management got time to sit down and plan union busting, but don't have time to sit down and discuss how they're going to close the tax gap?
We'll fight them legally, politically and if necessary take industrial action to win settlements that defend jobs, conditions and services.
We appeal to the whole movement to support PCS in this struggle. It's a struggle for the defence of union rights against a union busting government. If they're allowed to do this to PCS, others will be next in line."
Financial attack
"There is now an ongoing campaign, directed by Francis Maude, to stop check-off union subscription collection in civil service departments. Maude and the government aim to destroy PCS as a functioning union. They won't succeed in that.
PCS has put in place measures to combat the government's attempts to undermine us. We are implementing plans to maintain the union's financial stability. We're campaigning on all fronts, including politically by lobbying MP's and shadow ministers.
We have introduced a widespread campaign to get members signed-up to direct debit payments.
We are explaining to members that this attack is intended to stop them having trade union representation and an effective organisation to defend jobs, conditions and services."
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