PCS retired members’ chair Sandra Durkin spoke about the Capita pensions crisis for the Insource Now! campaign video today. She was brilliant, explaining the impact on members and why bringing services back in-house matters. She was joined by workers from UNISON and RMT to help make the case for insourcing. The giant cheque represents £6 billion in profits for outsourcing companies from government contracts. Public money that should support services, workers, and the people who rely on them. #InsourceNow

REMINDER! PCS Members - Cast your Vote! #VoteYesYes

🚨Get there if you can! Join PCS outside Parliament on Budget Day to demand action on pay and the cost-of-living crisis. Speakers: Fran Heathcote, Bev Laidlaw (Chair), with more speakers to be announced. According to the TUC, the average UK household has paid an extra £13,961 on essential bills since 2021, including housing, energy and borrowing costs. Energy bills alone have risen by an average £2,644, while households with mortgages have paid an average £9,034 more. After years of below-inflation pay awards, too many PCS members are still struggling to make ends meet. As the government sets out its budget plans, we're calling for fair pay, investment in public services and real support for working people. PCS is willing to cover reasonable transport costs for members wishing to attend. Please contact [email protected] for assistance. Bring your flags, banners and colleagues and join us in sending a clear message: workers need action, not more austerity. Event Address Old Palace Yard, opposite the Houses of Parliament, SW1P 3JY #PCS

🚨PCS Press Release: Scottish Government digital workers to ballot over £5,000 pay cut Over 1,100 Scottish Government digital workers have lost £5,000 after the government changed the eligibility criteria for a longstanding payment, PCS has said. Around 800 union members working in the Digital profession will now be balloted for industrial action, with the ballot running from 21 October to 4 November. The dispute follows the Scottish Government’s decision to replace the existing Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) supplement with a new Government Digital and Data (GDD) supplement, with eligibility restricted to a smaller number of roles. There are around 1,560 staff working in the Scottish Government’s Digital profession. Under the new arrangements, around 71% which amounts to more than 1,100 workers will have lost the supplement. PCS says this represents a significant cut to the pay of highly skilled digital workers, with those affected losing £5,000 a year or up to 14% of their pay, depending on their grade. Furthermore, the removal of DDaT and introduction of GDD disproportionately affects women in the profession, deepening the longstanding problems of gender segregation in the IT profession. The supplement is not a new payment. A pay supplement for IT and digital roles has existed within the Scottish Government in one form or another since at least 1999, with eligibility consistently covering specialist and technical roles from A band through to C3. The current DDaT supplement was negotiated and implemented in 2018 with the support of PCS and sister unions. When it was reviewed in 2022, there were no changes to eligibility or ratings, although the payment was increased from £4,000 to £5,000 for the majority of staff receiving it. PCS says the approach taken by the Scottish Government in its 2025 review was markedly different from previous reviews. While the government carried out a detailed assessment of the digital workforce and the wider labour market, trade unions were not given seats on the review panel or directly involved in the detailed discussions about the proposals. That review ultimately recommended ending the DDaT supplement and replacing it with the new GDD supplement, with eligibility limited to selected roles and different rates of payment. Ruby Gibson, PCS National Officer for Scotland, said: "This is an attack on the pay of more than 1,100 digital workers, many of whom stand to lose £5,000 a year through no fault of their own. These are skilled professionals who play a vital role in delivering public services. "The supplement has been in place in one form or another for more than 25 years, recognising the specialist skills needed to do these jobs. The Scottish Government cannot simply strip workers of a significant part of their pay and expect them to accept it without a fight. "PCS is particularly concerned that this decision will disproportionately affect women, deepening existing inequalities in the digital profession. It is also unacceptable that trade unions were excluded from meaningful involvement in the detailed discussions that led to these changes. "Our members deserve fair pay, respect and a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their livelihoods. The ballot for industrial action is a direct consequence of the Scottish Government’s decision to press ahead with these cuts. We are calling on the government to urgently reconsider its approach." #PCS

The PCS ballot is OPEN! Members in Nottingham are out leafleting today to get the vote going. For better pay, pensions and working conditions, have your say. Online or by post, every vote counts! #PCS

🚨PCS Press Release: Capita leaves 93,000 civil service pension cases waiting as March 2027 deadline set to be missed Around 93,000 civil service pension cases are still waiting for legally required corrections, with PCS warning that Capita has yet to begin processing the outstanding McCloud cases. The Cabinet Office has now confirmed that the March 2027 deadline for completing the work will be missed, adding to the growing chaos following Capita’s takeover of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, which has already left thousands of retiring civil servants waiting months for their pension payments. The McCloud judgment found that changes to public service pension schemes had unlawfully discriminated against younger members. The government was subsequently required to provide a remedy, allowing affected members to have their pension benefits for the relevant period reviewed and corrected where necessary. Around 73,000 retired or deceased members and 20,000 deferred members remain affected. The work was originally due to be completed by March 2025, but the deadline was extended to 31st March 2027 (see notes section) . Capita was then due to begin the McCloud work when it took over the scheme in December 2025 working to that spring 2027 deadline, but PCS understands that it remains in the design stage which it entered in July but actually began working on this month leaving the outstanding cases yet to be processed. PCS is regularly contacted by retired members seeking information about when their pensions will be corrected. For some, the delay could mean waiting longer for significant sums in pension arrears and interest. PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “I have spoken to many retired members, as well as working members who need to change contingent decisions made in 2025. They have been waiting far too long and have been badly let down. “These people are waiting for legally required corrections to their pensions, yet Capita has still not begun processing the outstanding cases. We cannot even give members reliable information about when their pensions will be corrected. Capita’s mess continues to pile up at the expense of members. I don’t know what more the Government needs to see before it finally says enough is enough.” See less

PCS general secretary, Fran Heathcote, was on Radio 4's Money Box Live this afternoon to discuss the latest in the ongoing Capita crisis.

More PCS members affected by the Capita pension crisis tell us why their scheme should be taken back in-house, to be serviced by civil servants. PCS continues to regularly meet with representatives of the Cabinet Office to address this crisis and pressure govt into fulfilling its promised biggest wave of insourcing in a generation. pcs.org.uk/news-events/news/…

🚨PCS Press Release: PCS to ballot civil servants across 138 employers in national campaign The PCS union will ballot members across 138 employers from 20 October to 1 December in a national campaign for better pay, job security and improved pensions, terms and conditions. The ballot follows the failure of employers to meet the union’s demands by a deadline set for earlier this month. With no agreement reached, PCS has formally served dispute and ballot notices on all 138 employers covered by the national campaign. Civil servants have seen the real value of their pay fall since 2010, leaving many thousands of pounds worse off each year as the cost of living continues to rise. With housing and energy bills putting increasing pressure on household finances, public services cannot run on goodwill alone. PCS is calling for pay restoration and an £18-an-hour living wage for the lowest paid. The case for better pay is not just about improving living standards. Research commissioned by PCS found that increasing public sector pay, particularly for lower-paid workers, can act as an engine for economic growth and generate wider economic benefits that more than pay for the investment. The five headline demands underpinning the national dispute are: Pay: Pay restoration and an £18-an-hour living wage for the lowest paid. Jobs: Action to protect jobs and provide security for civil servants. Pensions: Action to address members’ concerns over pensions. Terms and conditions: Improvements to members’ working lives. Industrial relations: A constructive approach to resolving disputes and engaging with the union. The ballot will give PCS members across the country the opportunity to vote on the union’s national campaign as it seeks to secure meaningful improvements for civil servants. Fran Heathcote, PCS general secretary, said: “Civil servants have endured years of pay restraint, leaving many struggling to make ends meet, while facing the threat of job cuts, uncertainty over their pensions and worsening terms and conditions. Our members deserve better. It is time the Government addressed these concerns and treated the people who deliver the public services this country relies on with the decency and respect they deserve. “This national ballot is about securing meaningful improvements for PCS members. We are calling for pay restoration, an £18-an-hour minimum wage for the lowest paid and greater security for our members. The Government must recognise the strength of feeling among civil servants and work with us to deliver the change our members need.” #PCS

PCS National Ballot – How to Vote Online Our national ballot opens on 20 October, and every vote counts! Not sure how to vote online? We've put together a short animated video showing you how to cast your vote. It's quick, easy, and only takes a few minutes. Watch the video, get ballot ready and make your vote count! #PCS

📢 PCS MEMBERS: IMPORTANT BALLOT UPDATE With our national ballot expected to open on 20 October, PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote answers members’ questions about our campaign for better pay, pensions, job security, and rights at work. Watch the video and get ballot-ready #PCS

Pension scheme members demand insourcing PCS members affected by Capita’s maladministration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme explain why they want to see it taken out of private hands. Read all about it: pcs.org.uk/news-events/news/… #PCS #CapitaCrisis #InsourceNow