Here is the Friday e-mail. Please note that the Intranet links won't work.
We are now in May and the
coronavirus crisis continues. I have spent the last week supporting my wife
after her mother died of the disease last Sunday. I know that some of you have
lost friends, relations, and colleagues. My sympathies and thoughts to you all.
We all fight on for justice and equality.
Stay safe everyone. Here is the
latest news.
PCS Interim Demands
PCS put in a bid for pay, pensions,
office closures, and redundancy. We cannot put all our normal work on hold due
to coronavirus. It is also a test of how much the government really care about
key workers. The supermarkets don’t accept a round of applause as payment for
goods.
May
Day
Today
is International Workers Day, probably better known as May Day. Leicester &
District Trades Union Council (L&DTUC) would normally mark the occasion by
holding a march in Leicester city centre with big name labour market speeches
followed by a musical event. This was due to take place tomorrow but, for
obvious reasons, this will not take place. Please take some time to think that
you are all part of a movement of people throughout the world who have joined
together to improve the lives of working people like ourselves.
There
are plenty of online events to join in with a variety of interesting speakers.
Just search the internet and you will find them.
Coronavirus
We have negotiated special policies
for coronavirus. Guidance is here. This is the management
site and should be cross referenced with PCS guidance.
PCS
continues to negotiate on behalf of members both locally and nationally.
We
are aware that the initial peak of coronavirus and therefore the initial peak
of claims may have passed. The justification for overtime may therefore also be
reduced. PCS is in negotiation with management to ensure that staff are
deployed to roles that are most useful in helping claimants through the crisis.
We are also trying to ensure that staff receive the full training and support
needed to carry out any new tasks that they are asked to do. It is a reasonable
request to do the work of the grade below. It is not a reasonable request to do
the work of the grade above unless you are paid at the rate for that grade.
If
you have any questions about coronavirus HR guidance or need a rep to support
you please contact us using the branch shared mailbox.
Overtime
PCS
has successfully got management to extend the period when increased overtime
rates can be paid to 31 May 2020. The initial surge of work may have passed so
there may be less call for overtime. If you are offered overtime and
choose to accept it please be aware that part-time staff now get paid time over
their normal hours at overtime rates (there are some exceptions; please check
the guidance) and you may be able to claim travel time for overtime on
non-working days. Please also be aware that ALL members MUST take at least one
day off in every seven days for their own wellbeing.
Homeworking
Equipment
has been purchased and is being given out to staff to work from home. This will
enable staff who are on special leave to work and to help to stop our offices
becoming overcrowded when full lockdown end but we still need to observe social
distancing.
If
your manager rings you at home please be nice to them and have an open and
honest discussion.
It
is a reasonable request to ask you to work from home. It is not reasonable to
ignore reasonable adjustments and specialist equipment and applications that
you may need. You will need the physical space to site the equipment and either
wifi at home or be supplied with a 4G dongle.
Make
sure that you have the conversation with you manager. If they refuse to make
reasonable adjustments please contact PCS using the shared mailbox. If you are
a manager please ensure that you familiarise yourself with the guidance on
reasonable adjustments before you make the calls.
If
you work from home then you fall into the category of staff who are working
rather than staff on special leave and the relevant HR policies about leave,
etc. will change for you.
Please
note that home workers will be able to claim expenses to cover costs. The
general amount is claimable after you have been working from home for a month
or more. It increased from £4 a week to £6 a week from the new tax year. You
may be able to claim for actual phone bills (minutes and data) if you need to
use a personal phone. You can also buy additional equipment and claim the money
back up to a maximum of £100. DO NOT DO THIS until you have got approval from
your manager.
AND REMEMBER in times of crisis it is more important than ever
to join a union. Ask all your colleagues, friends and relations to join a union
and if any of your colleagues are members but don’t get this e-mail ask them to
e-mail me and ask to be put on the list.
Clap for Carers
The event still goes on. It is
important that we remember that clapping is not enough. Some front line key
workers are still not receiving the PPE that they require and we all deserve a
decent pay rise. A badge doesn’t stop the disease from spreading. Actions speak
louder than words (or clapping). #GiveThemPPE.
Keeping Healthy
I hope that people are keeping well
and following the advice to try and avoid catching coronavirus.
But there are other health
considerations. It is a good idea to try and maintain some physical exercise if
you are able to. I have been walking round in circles in my garden while I am
on telekits to get some physical exercise.
And look after your mental health.
Some people are starting to be affected by the isolation and frustration of
being at home. And possibly worse is the staff left in the offices with half or
even more not at work. In Jobcentres in particular I have had reports of
members under huge pressure trying to set up UC claims as quickly as possible
to help the public survive. The new aspiration to clear 20 claims a day is
clearly to help those most in need but it needs to be managed in a supportive
rather than a punitive manner. You can only do what you can do. If you are a
line manager please look after your staff and yourself. We are all feeling the
strain.
There is a lot of advice on the
internet and intranet about how to help manage your stress. And make use of the
annual leave provisions that we now have. Please note that the rules
changed this week for staff who are working and for those on special leave.
Please make sure that you are up to date with this. Don’t do too much and burn
out. This won’t help you, the business, the public, or your colleagues.
Availability of reps
As well as me working
from home a number of our reps are at home for medical reasons. And next week
we have even fewer in work due to leave over Easter. The remaining reps are
negotiating with management and members about coronavirus and keeping people
safe. We have now set up regular communications with managers at CMG site level
and Jobcentre District level feeding in issues from reps and members who are at
home and those in work as we still represent all of our members.
Please be patient at
this time. We ask managers to defer HR issues where possible so as to enable
managers, staff, and reps can concentrate on safety and business continuity.
The following is now in
the coronavirus guidance:
You should be flexible and
practicable in applying deadlines in any procedures, not just Grievance. Your
discretion should be applied, based on the circumstances, to allow reasonable
additional time for things to get done in the current situation. This might
apply to deadlines for submitting grievances, notice of meetings and time
allowed for trade union reps. or note-takers to be obtained. To the greatest
extend possible, travel between sites for meetings should be avoided, with
participants expected to agree telephone, VC or Skype meetings.
PCS
Branch Reps
There is a list of reps on the Branch Blog. Please find out your
local one. If you don’t have one on site why not volunteer?
PCS Records
It’s a good idea to
make sure that your details are correct, both to comply with GDPR and so that
PCS can contact you. You
can use
the update function, here and or log on to the PCS web site to
register or check and update your details. If you cannot update your
details please get in touch.
If you get an e-mail,
a text, or a call from PCS to check your details and ask about your
participation it is genuine. Please say hello from me and help our PCS team.
Communications
It is essential that
members know what is going on in the union. Please talk to your colleagues and
your nearest rep (if you have one on site). There is also information of the
web sites. If you register as above you will receive information about
campaigns and what is going on in PCS.
Recruitment
The more members we
have the stronger we are. We are planning an extra push on recruitment.
If your colleagues are
not members ask them to join. If they don’t receive these e-mails ask them to
drop me a line and I’ll put them on my distribution list.
Facebook
PCS also has a
national and local branch Facebook page but you cannot view these on DWP
equipment. Log on to your Facebook account and search for PCS DWP
Leicestershire Branch. If you are not a recognisable member of the branch
you won’t be added so let me know your real name if you use an alias on
Facebook.
Other News
Other news is, as usual, on the relevant web site.
How to get help with a personal case
Please follow the
instruction on the branch blog. Do NOT contact me personally or
it may slow down your case. DO NOT SEND THE FORM TO THE PCS LEGAL E-MAIL ADDRESS.
In order for us to effectively negotiate on your behalf please let
us know of the issues in your workplace by replying to our PCS branch mailbox
or by clicking reply to this e-mail.
Ramadan
is still ongoing. If you are taking part in the fast see the PCS
web site for advice for members.
Whatever
you are doing make a difference.
Watch
out for my e-mail next Friday.
PCS DWP Leicestershire Branch Secretary
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