support George Thompson, PCS DWP North East London Branch Secretary.

Dear all

I hope this link works

Please can you sign and forward to any contacts you think will

Thanks

Tony Reay

Hello!

As the Regional Committee decided, I've started the petition "DWP London Regional Management: We call on the Department for Work and Pensions to withdraw the 2 year final written warning issued to George Thompson, PCS DWP North East London Branch Secretary." and need your help to get it off the ground.
Will you take 30 seconds to sign it right now? Here's the link:

http://www.change.org/p/dwp-london-regional-management-we-call-on-the-department-for-work-and-pensions-to-withdraw-the-2-year-final-written-warning-issued-to-george-thompson-pcs-dwp-north-east-london-branch-secretary

Here's why it's important:

PCS are campaigning against staffing cuts, arguing for more staff across DWP. The union have been campaigning for a number of years for this. When George Thompson, PCS Branch Secretary in North East London Branch issued a press release about staffing cuts in his own office, management took exception to this and disciplined him.   

           

Management claim that George has committed serious misconduct and issued him a two year final warning. PCS believe that this warning should be rescinded. Union reps are allowed to speak to the press about issues that affect union members. The information George shared about staffing was not “restricted” or “confidential”. It was information routinely shared with the union and in the “public domain.”         

Some of you may recall that last year the Guardian published an email that was leaked about a league table of the number of sanctions each office in London and Home Counties Group. 

http://gu.com/p/3ejan

The email was not leaked by PCS and was certainly not leaked by George. It may explain, however, management’s over reaction to the article about staff cuts and the action taken against George.        

This case and several others are being pursued against a backdrop of anti union activity by the Government. Facility time reps get to undertake union duties has been cut drastically and the Civil Service has threatened to remove “check off” (union deductions from wages). Clearly the government regard the union as a threat which has to be curtailed. PCS believe they should curtail their policies that attack working people and those claiming benefit rather than blame the union for everything. 

George has applied to a Employment Tribunal and PCS are backing this. Both George and PCS would prefer to resolve this with a firm application of common sense and acknowledgement that PCS work to help its members will sometimes involve disagreement with the employer. To help us, please sign the petition.

Thanks!
PCS DWP London Regional

acknowledgements to Dave Plummer