📢 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

🚨PCS Press Release: PCS Responds to the Budget Announcement PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote said: "The Chancellor talks about giving working people ‘breathing space’, but for our members, their pay has been squeezed for far too long. When your finances have been suffocated by years of rising costs and falling real-terms pay, breathing space simply isn’t enough, they need resuscitation. "Civil servants have continued to deliver the essential public services this country relies on while seeing the value of their wages eroded. A £100 household energy payment may provide some welcome short-term relief, but it cannot make up for years of pay erosion or address the underlying cost-of-living crisis. "The increase in the minimum wage is welcome, but it is shocking that so many of our members will have to rely on a statutory increase to see the littlest of improvement in their pay. What civil servants need is a significant, properly funded pay rise that begins to restore what they have lost. PCS is demanding an £18-an-hour minimum wage for civil servants, alongside a 10% pay remit properly funded by the Government. "When it comes to AI in the civil service, the Government’s plans need much closer scrutiny. This technology must improve services and make people's jobs better, not become a pretext for further cuts to the civil service workforce. Public services would never improve if that became the case. "We recognise the importance of properly funding our national security, but the Government must also recognise the vital role played by civilian defence workers. They are an essential part of our defence capability and must not be expected to pay for increased investment through job cuts, outsourcing or attacks on their pay and conditions. "Ultimately, if this Budget really is about working people, the test will be whether it delivers a meaningful improvement to their lives. Our members need decent pay, secure jobs and investment in the public services they deliver – measures that would make a tangible difference to their lives and the services the public relies on." #PCS #Budget #Budget2026

TOMORROW! Tune in live from 6pm here or: FB:facebook.com/PcsUnion/ YouTube: youtube.com/@PCSDWPBrumSouth #BHM2026 #PCS

Tax the super rich, not working people Ahead of tomorrow's Budget, campaigners and Trade Unionists gathered in Parliament Square this morning with a clear message - it's time for the super rich to pay their fair share. PCS General Secretary joined the pre-Budget action organised by Tax Justice UK, calling for a fairer tax system that can help fund the public services we all rely on #PCS #Budget2026

#Capita Pensions Chaos - Latest from Parliament #CapitaCrisis #Pensions

Be like David - Vote Yes/Yes. For all PCS members in the UK civil service and related public bodies covered by this ballot Members eligible to vote in N Ireland must do so by post. #VoteYesYes

🚨PCS Press Release: MHCLG members to strike on Budget Day PCS members across the entirety of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will take strike action on Wednesday 28 October – Budget Day – as part of a long-running dispute over office closures, office attendance requirements, and changes to location and recruitment policies. The action follows three weeks of targeted strike action by PCS members across the department during October, as workers stand up for colleagues across MHCLG and demand a fairer deal for staff. Members have also been taking action short of strike for the past six months, as part of the branch’s campaign in support of “Our Work, Our Way”, which seeks to ensure staff have a meaningful say over where and how they work. The dispute centres on the proposed closure of six regional offices (see locations in notes), affecting hundreds of staff. PCS members are also concerned about strict office attendance targets and changes to recruitment policies which could restrict future opportunities for staff based in regional offices and contribute to further office closures. PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “PCS members have been clear that they want a fair deal and a genuine say over the decisions affecting their jobs, workplaces and futures. “On Budget Day, they will send a clear message to MHCLG’s new leadership that their concerns cannot be ignored. The staff who keep this department running deserve to be heard. “Our union will continue to stand with our members until MHCLG engages seriously with their concerns and works towards a fair resolution to this dispute.” Support the Picket lines Picket lines will be held outside offices from 8- 10am on strike day, 28 October: Darlington – Darlington Economic Campus (DEC), Feethams House, Feethams, Darlington, DL1 5BF Hemel Hempstead – The Forum, Marlowe, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 1DN London –2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF Leeds – 7/8 Wellington Place, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 4AP Wolverhampton - Wolverhampton Interchange, Railway Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1LG. #PCS

🚨Breaking News! V&A Strike Suspended for Talks PCS members at the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum have called off this week's strike action. PCS reps at the V&A have decided to suspend the planned 29 and 30 October strike to allow for ACAS-facilitated talks to take place, after the employer sent an improved offer. They made this decision in good faith to hold talks with the museum. Should these negotiations fail to produce a deal that is acceptable to our members, however, PCS will announce further strike action. PCS members at the V&A are determined to get the deal they deserve. And they continue to have a strong mandate for industrial action. PCS had already entered negotiations with the V&A over the provision of water bottles and adequate seating for front of house staff at V&A Storehouse. Now, the V&A has also made an improved offer on pay. PCS members are demanding a reasonable pay award and London Living Wage accreditation. They are also looking for heat mitigation measures, improved food offers at the East sites and a new industrial relations framework. You can support our members by using our e-action to email your MP: action.pcs.org.uk/page/20046… #PCS

Get your vote in as soon as possible! #voteyesyes

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: PCS urges Chancellor to rethink reported decision to rule out Capital Gains Tax changes As the union representing the majority of staff at HM Revenue and Customs, PCS has written to the Chancellor urging him to reconsider reports that the Government will rule out changes to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) in the upcoming Budget. The intervention comes as PCS continues its national campaign on pay and the cost of living, arguing that working people should not bear a disproportionate share of the tax burden while income from wealth benefits from more favourable treatment. PCS has called for income from wealth to be taxed at the same rate as income from work. Independent tax specialists have estimated that such a change could raise around £12 billion a year for the Treasury. PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Reports that the Chancellor is ruling out changes to Capital Gains Tax would be deeply disappointing. “PCS has long argued that our tax system must be fairer. People should not pay less tax simply because their income comes from wealth rather than work. “At a time when working people are struggling with the cost of living and fighting for fair pay, the Government should be looking at how to make the tax system fairer, not ruling out opportunities to raise billions of pounds in revenue. “We urge the Chancellor to keep an open mind and ensure that those who benefit most from wealth make a fair contribution. Tax justice must be part of building a fairer society for working people.” #PCS