Vote YES in the PCS National consultative ballot

Vote YES in the national consultative ballot

You will have hopefully received a ballot email to your personal email address or a ballot paper to your home address (where we don’t hold your personal email). This is to vote in the national consultative ballot. We are encouraging all members to vote and to vote yes in this important ballot to back the national executive committee (NEC) strategy going forward.

If you’ve not voted yet look for an email from pcs@cesvotes.com. Check your junk folder if you can’t see it. If we don’t have your personal email address it will be posted to you.

You can also update your details and request a replacement ballot on PCS Digital.

The ballot closes on 31 August. As it’s a consultative ballot you don’t have to post a ballot paper but can simply use the codes you receive in the email (or in the post) to vote online.

While members in Home Office will be aware that their pay award for the 2023-24 pay will be implemented in August with payments backdated to 1 July it is still important to vote in this ballot to have your voice heard about the national campaign strategy.

The national consultative ballot is not a vote on acceptance of the Home Office pay offer but an indication from members if they support the strategy taken so far and to continue the campaign but with a pause that will allow the union to take stock of what we have achieved so far and pause collecting the strike levy from members.

While PCS have not indicated an acceptance to the Home Office offer, we noted their intention to implement. The Home Office offer did not meet all our pay demands, primarily around overall 10% increase and a minimum underpin of £15 per hour, however from our consultation with members the offer has been broadly welcomed.

We recognise for many members the increases were more than expected and will see everyone getting, at least a 4.5% award with many getting far more.

It is undeniable that the additional money has been because of the National Executive Committee (NEC) strategy of targeted sustained strike action supported by a levy and complemented by three days of all out national action. The negotiations we entered with the Home Office and other employers have been conducted from a position of strength where the employers are fully aware of the support of members from the industrial action taken so far.

While Home Office pay for 2023-24 has been implemented, we remain in negotiations with arm’s length bodies linked to Home Office such as DBS, GLAA, SIA and OISC and with other employers across the Civil Service.

The strategy implemented so far has brought about gains with minimal financial sacrifice to members. The NEC are therefore asking you to back your negotiators and vote yes. By voting yes you will be endorsing the strategy of keeping the campaign live but with a temporary pause so members will stop paying the strike levy and we will pause the industrial action to see the outcomes of all delegated pay talks.

James Cox  Mike Jones

Group President   Group Secretary