HMRC
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Oppose tax office's 'company union'
HMRC picket at Benton Park View, Newcastle upon Tyne, photo Elaine Brunskill (Click to enlarge)
A new 'company union' - the Revenue and Customs Trade Union (RCTU) - has been launched in HMRC, months after leaked documents showed such a move was planned as part of attacks on the socialist-led PCS civil service union.
PCS national vice-president John McInally spoke to the Socialist.
"Setting up the RCTU is part of a coordinated process of union busting on behalf of the government. Their aim is to silence opposition to the government's cuts, privatisation programme and destruction of public services. It goes alongside attacks on check-off subs collection and facility time, and their refusal to negotiate with PCS at a national level.
The RCTU was founded by a disgruntled ex-PCS activist who was disciplined for trying to get fellow activists disciplined or even sacked. It's absolutely clear from the evidence we have that HMRC senior management are working hand in hand with this union busting outfit.
Instead of effectively dealing with tax avoidance, HMRC bosses are concentrating on attacking the PCS.
RCTU is completely undemocratic. Anybody applying to join has to be approved by their leadership. Their own rules says that any strike ballot has to be approved by 50% of their members - already implementing the proposed anti-trade union laws that the Tories are threatening to bring in.
They've also put into their rule book that the national executive committee can change rules at will. Yet we don't know who elected that executive, we don't know who they are, we don't know who appointed their senior officers. All instructions from the president - whoever that may be and whoever appointed them - have to be obeyed.
RCTU will fail because it offers nothing but bowing down to management attacks. It should be condemned by the entire trade union movement.
The PCS has a tremendous record in fighting for terms and conditions. HMRC workers are under massive attacks - that is why members should be in PCS and won't be taken in by this strikebreaking organisation."
- The Tories have pledged to dismiss 30,000 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) workers if they win the general election. Labour says it will 'just' sack 20,000! The DWP has already seen massive job cuts under the Con-Dems, with 121,000 posts having been slashed to 83,000 since 2010.
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