PCS members in Stockport have taken strike action over conditions. Both service users and workers must fight against Tory austerity. We cannot stand by as the government attacks both claimants and public sector workers.
Although the early morning brought unseasonal cold and rain, there was an undeniable atmosphere of optimism among the Universal Credit (UC) service providers at Millennium House, Stockport, who were out on strike on 27-28th August over conditions.
An organising member of staff, Alan, told Socialist Appeal that PCS union members first started to discuss strike action when they began to experience a significant rise in sick days. Stressful working conditions were clearly damaging workers’ health.
Flexi-time is under attack, with a degrading micro-management of hours and breaks. Meanwhile, staffing has been in decline since the introduction of UC in 2016, which has increased workloads. Workers have just one minute of time between calls, in which they must finish the work of the call and type up the case before another call comes in.
Staff are expected to be working on several cases at once. Because of this, some cases are completed with errors, or not completed at all. The people using this service are among the most vulnerable in society and are grappling with the disastrous system of UC, which is pushing millions into poverty.
Alan directly deals with people whose benefits had been sanctioned after missing appointments for perfectly good reasons. Having seen the cruelty of the system first hand, he is adamant that sanctions must be abolished immediately.
This chaotic situation, in which both service users and workers are forced to fight for better conditions, is symptomatic of the crisis created by Tory austerity.
In response, PCS are demanding that DWP management:
- Introduce 100 new staff members.
- Limit calls to 30 a week for case managers.
- Scrap the one minute after-call work limit.
- Allocate time for case work to be completed.
- End the attack on flexi-time.
- End the unnecessary restrictions on breaks and lunches.
- End the victimisation of a PCS rep and member and drop cases against them.
Brilliantly attended picket line ✊ for a rock-solid strike at DWP Stockport and Tame Valley branch members working on #UniversalCredit, in a dispute over staffing, workloads and trade union victimisation. Day 2️⃣ of strike tomorrow, meeting 3rd Sept. https://t.co/FHHufPmpm2 ✊? pic.twitter.com/ymFmxv4LRN
— PCS North West (@PCS_Northwest) August 27, 2019
Management on the defensive
One PCS rep detailed the poor working conditions on his personal Facebook account. As a result, he was officially disciplined and personally attacked by management. The defensive reaction of management demonstrates their fear of the power of organised workers.
On the strike days, not a single person crossed the picket line – not even the postman. The whole office building didn’t receive post for two days.
The picket was rightly optimistic, supported by the local anti-austerity coalition, Labour Party activists, and other PCS UC workers who had traveled from as far away as Glasgow and Birmingham to show their support.
These problems are faced by UC service staff across the country. PCS will be balloting for strike action in other branches as soon as they are sure to pass the wildly undemocratic and anti-union laws introduced by the Tories, which require a 50% turnout threshold for legal strike action.
The Stockport PCS struggle will serve as an inspiration to the rest of the union, since their ballot had an astonishing 71.4% turnout, with members voting 91.9% in favour of strike action. This should provide confidence to other PCS members and public sector workers who are considered striking over pay, pensions, and public services.
For a socialist Labour government
Plenty of workers at the picket line were talking about the prospects for a public sector wide strike. We cannot stand by as the government dismantles our welfare system, attacking both claimants and public sector workers.
PCS has spoken out about the government’s £18 billion welfare cuts, arguing that: “social security for every citizen is a fundamental human right and any future system must be based on need not moral judgements, and on the principles of universality, dignity and respect.”
PCS are attempting to protect welfare by working in a parliamentary group that is “trying to persuade MPs that there is a better way forward”. But to build the future system they envision, we need to see workers’ struggle and wider political goals as one and the same.
As one of the largest public sector unions, PCS can play a leading role in organising coordinated strike action across the public sector. This should be linked to the demand to bring down this rotten Tory government and fight for a socialist Labour government that will end austerity once and for all.
