It is that time of year again so I’m taking on the Mega Miles Challenge in support of the Charity for Civil Servants. I have pledged to walk 100 miles in May

May 1st fell on the day I volunteer reading with children in a local school. I always walk too and from the school and today’s sunshine tempted me to take a detour on my way home.

I am happy with my 5 miles on the first day of the challenge.

June sees the return of the Civil Service Walking challenge. The challenge is to walk on average 10000 steps per day for the month of June which for me is around 4 miles per day.

A lot of my steps were taken whilst out and about shopping for essentials. There was however a window of opportunity in the afternoon to walk round my local town to see the shop windows decorated to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Whilst in town I took the opportunity to visit the Peace Garden and found it to be full of delightful blooms.

Earlier this year I was informed that I had been awarded the Imperial Service Medal. My name along with a number of my colleagues names was published in the London Gazette 2nd June 2015.

Madam,

I am commanded to forward the Imperial Service Medal which Her Majesty The Queen has been graciously pleased to award to you in recognition of the meritorious services which you have rendered.

I have the honour to be, Madam,

Your obedient servant,

J M Vernon

Registrar of the Imperial Service Order

On Friday 27th November 2015 a of few of those colleagues awarded with the medal, accompanied by family members gathered together for a formal award ceremony where we were presented with our medals. After the formal proceedings and presentation of medals there was a buffet which allowed us to socialise and enjoy the occasion.

The Imperial Service Medal Citation

Throughout history Monarchs and governments have realised the value and indeed the necessity, of giving some kind of reward as a token of their appreciation of loyal and devoted service or gallantry in battle.

In earlier times this might have taken a tangible form such as gifts of land and money; honours were often given in the form of gold chains, badges or medallions, and awards for gallantry in the form of accoutrements and weapons.

Since the middle ages these have gradually been replaced by peerages, knighthoods and the Insignia of Orders of Chivalry.

The Imperial Service Medal is an award within the Imperial Service Order which was created and instituted on 8th August 1902 by King Edward VII who wished to recognise more fully the faithful and meritorious services rendered to him by members of “The Civil Service of various parts of the Empire’”.

The Imperial Service Medal is governed by statute and is awarded to those employees in industrial and certain non-industrial grades who, on retirement from the Civil Service, have completed not less than 25 years faithful and meritorious service.

The obverse of the medal bears the effigy of the Sovereign and the reverse the words “For Faithful Service” and a design symbolising:

“The enjoyment of well-earned retirements” from the Civil Service.

]]> http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/index.php/2015/11/30/the-queen-has-been-graciously-pleased/feed/ 24 http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/index.php/2011/03/07/the-media-and-the-myths-revisited/ http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/index.php/2011/03/07/the-media-and-the-myths-revisited/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:56:06 +0000 CherryPie http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/?p=5380

A letter published in the Financial Times on 25th February 2011 exposes the myth of the Public Sector stereotype:

Looking to hire? You’ll get a great recruit from the public sector

From Mr Ian Watmore,

Sir, I read Brian Groom’s report (February 21) on the perceived limited employability of public servants in the private sector with great dismay. As one who has worked for 25 years in the private sector, and now six in the public sector, my message is simple.

If you are looking to hire into your company, forget the myths and stereotypes, you will get a great recruit from the public sector.

Why do I say that? Because I cannot think of a single skill that one needs in the private sector that people don’t develop in spades in the public sector.

Operational management? What about running a prison of sex offenders. Technology skills? Nothing comes close to the scale and complexity of the tax and benefits system. Commercial skills? Have you ever let a contract for a science facility that accelerates electrons to near light speed? Customer relations? We serve everyone from the young and old, rich and poor, ill and healthy. Turnarounds? A failing company is one thing, a failing secondary school on a sink estate is quite another. Mergers and acquisitions? Try taking over a collapsing bank in a weekend. Human resources? Just imagine what is involved in sending civilians into Helmand province. Security? I’d have to shoot you if I told you what our security services do on a daily basis, but, trust me, we are lucky to have them. Public relations? Well, we are always in the Thick of It!

Even business development is hugely in evidence as civil servants promote Britain’s interests abroad, or work in successful trading funds such as the Ordnance Survey or Companies House.

Public servants manage complex, multi-billion pound businesses – indeed, my last job oversaw an annual budget of £20bn. It is this level of challenge that continues to attract the best graduates every year. Latest figures show that more than 22,000 people showed an interest in just over 600 Fast Stream jobs.

In my six years I have managed staff in Norwich and Newport, Sheffield and Scotland, Warrington and West Midlands, Liverpool and London. I am proud of every one of them, for the unsung successes they achieve, and the family and national crises they avert. I learnt much in my 25 years in business, but I continue to learn so much in the public sector too.

Many former civil servants can be found in FTSE 100 companies at all levels. Only this week, one of my most senior managers is leaving to join a renowned multinational committed to innovation and technology. This should be no surprise. The civil service has invested heavily in increasing its professionalism and now compares favourably when independently benchmarked with the private sector.

As the public sector shrinks to balance the budget deficit, we are letting go many talented people, for whom the job itself is as much the reward as the remuneration.

So please, forget the stereotypes, and join the ranks of the enlightened companies that are hiring people from the public sector. They will give you a great deal in both senses of the phrase.

Ian Watmore

Chief Operating Officer

UK Government

Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office

Index – Media myths about civil and public services.

A fellow blogger Chrissy has expressed it far better than I could:

For those of you reading this who imagine “Civil Servants” to be members of the bowler hat brigade in the corridors of power let me take this opportunity to advise that civil servants fulfil a number of every day roles within your community most of whom you wouldn’t realise until they are gone!….. Civil servants are sitting beside their military colleagues, running citizens advice bureau’s, teaching children, taking away bed pans, cleaning corridors, the Police, the Firemen, Prison Officers, advising the unemployed, the list goes on! I find myself wondering who is going to advise us!

These people are carrying out work for a reasonable wage and have worked under fixed terms and conditions throughout their career, bearing in mind negotiations for a number of years have resulted in a reduction in potential wage increases simply because it was felt that civil servants have such good terms that this should be reflected in the wage expected!…. Now it seems that our employers have no honour and think that they can play with our lives as they see fit!….

Head over to Chrissy’s blog to read the full article and view the illustrative artwork that accompanies the post.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has won it’s legal challenge against government plans to cut civil service redundancy payments:

Following a two-day judicial review hearing in the High Court in April, Mr Justice Sales ruled today (10 May) that the previous government acted unlawfully when it introduced, without PCS’s agreement, a new redundancy scheme reducing the rights staff had accrued over time.

In what is a dramatic win for the union’s 270,000 public sector members, the judgement quashes a revised scheme that the government had sought to impose from 1 April. It means the next government, when it is established, must reopen negotiations with the union if it is to agree a new arrangement that protects existing members’ rights.

The union has always maintained the changes to the civil service compensation scheme, which governs payments in the event of redundancy and early retirement, would have made it easier and cheaper to cut tens of thousands of civil service jobs and privatise more of our public services. It has also argued consistently that the government had no authority to act independently.

When PCS members took three days of strike action in March, including on budget day, Gus O’Donnell described it as “misguided” and Tessa Jowell, then the civil service minister said the “time for talking is over”.

Despite widespread anger among the government’s workforce, and opposition from 176 MPs including 121 Labour backbenchers, changes aimed at saving £500 million over three years were forced through.

The government have ignored PCS offers to resolve the dispute by negotiations rather than strike action. This has led to PCS members planning further industrial action on budget day next week:

Legal and Strategy Update – 18th March

The NEC meets on Thursday 25 March to plan the CSCS campaign through April. A factor to be be considered will be the decision of the courts today to set the hearing date for our Judicial Review on the CSCS changes for 22/23 April.

PCS is both disappointed that this is not much earlier, but also pleased that at long last the management delays have been brought to a halt and that we now will have a full hearing of our case

Plans for the 19 and 24 March

Following successful strike action by PCS members on the 8 and 9 March, we are now preparing for a UK-wide campaigning day on 19 March and strike on 24 March, budget day.

This action would not be necessary if the government had met with us to negotiate a settlement. Tessa Jowell has regrettably refused to meet with PCS and we have now written to Gordon Brown calling for a negotiated agreement.

A UK-wide day of campaigning is planned for 19 March, with events taking place across the country. The PCS battle bus will also be touring London, visiting key parliamentary constituencies including Tessa Jowell’s constituency of Dulwich and West Norwood, and meeting general secretaries from other unions. Branches are asked to leaflet the public at lunchtimes and after work on the day too. Full details of the battlebus schedule route will follow.

A strong strike is expected for budget day on the 24 March alongside a national overtime ban. Picket lines are being organised across the UK. The battle bus will again be touring London, alongside a ‘battleboat’ that will be taking our message to Parliament via the Thames. There will be a range of activities in Whitehall, Parliament Square from 11am to coincide with the chancellor delivering his budget speech. All pickets and members in London should make their way to parliament square for 11am where we will direct them to a number of protest points. For further details contact our organising and learning department.

As the campaign continues, the number of membership applications across the union has doubled in recent weeks, with over 900 staff joining PCS from the Department for Work and Pensions alone.

PCS are still committed to resolving the dispute by reaching a negotiated settlement. Unfortunately Tessa Jowell has ignored letters offering this, therefore Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary has now written directly to Gordon Brown:

16 March 2010

Dear Prime Minister

I am writing to you regarding the dispute over the changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS). The changes to the CSCS represent a cut in members’ entitlements in the case of redundancy and would tear up members’ accrued rights. We welcome the fact that, through prior negotiations, some improvements were made after we had made representations. The current proposals, however, still leave almost half of our members worse off, many of whom are low paid.

As you will be aware, our members’ took two days of well-supported industrial action on 8th and 9th March, and further national strike action is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 24th March, Budget Day. However, I am writing to re-affirm that PCS remains committed to achieving a resolution to this dispute through negotiations. Indeed, it is only through a negotiated settlement that this matter can be resolved.

I read your comments relating to the BA dispute over the weekend, and your wish “to find a way in which the two sides can get together – the BA management and the BA workforce”.

We have now written twice to Cabinet Office Minister Tessa Jowell offering talks, stating that in order to facilitate an agreement we would be willing to use the services provided by ACAS. Sadly, we have received no response from the Minister. We were also dismayed by the Minister’s remarks in Parliament that “there is no question of any further negotiation”.

We have previously put forward proposals that would achieve the savings you have said are necessary, while protecting existing members’ entitlements. We therefore believe an agreement is possible to avoid further damaging action. I very much hope that if you believe talks are the solution in the BA dispute then you will ensure talks take place immediately for your own employees.

There is considerable strength of feeling among PCS members on this issue, demonstrated by the strong support on 8th and 9th March. That depth of feeling is reflected among backbench MPs, some 164 of whom (and well over 100 of whom are Labour) have now signed EDM 251 ‘Civil Service Compensation Scheme’.

I look forward to your urgent response, and hope to re-engage in talks with the Government at the earliest opportunity.

Yours sincerely

Mark Serwotka
General Secretary

The action plan detailing the events and rallies that are planned for the day can be viewed here.

Clarence Darrow

The TUC in conjunction with Trade Unionists have produced a couple of leaflets that explain/debunk the myths that surround public sector spending, pensions and privatisation.

I will post the articles as a series of posts starting tomorrow, so if you are interested watch this space…

On 2nd  February 2010 the revised terms and conditions of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme were published.  You will note the spin in the papers and on the civil service website that 5 unions agreed to the new terms:

These reflect the outcome of further discussions with the unions and have been agreed between the Cabinet Office and the FDA, Prospect, the GMB, Unite and the Prison Officers’ Association

Those 5 unions represent only a small proportion of civil servants, the vast majority being represented by the PCS union who were still negotiating the proposed terms.  Concessions had been made by both the cabinet office and PCS when the cabinet office ceased negotiations and and imposed the new set of rules.

PCS decided the only option was to ballot the members to see if they were willing to take strike action and/or action short of a strike to defend their terms and conditions.  The results of the ballot were published today:

Up to 270,000 civil and public servants from across the UK are set to launch a month of industrial action with a 48 hour strike on 8 and 9 March in a dispute over unilateral changes to redundancy terms,PCS announced today.

Strike action could hit civil and public services every week of next month from Monday 8 March following strong support in a ballot which saw 63.4% of those voting backing strike action and 81.4% supporting an overtime ban.

The strikes, which will involve Jobcentre staff, tax workers, coastguards, border agency officials, courts staff and driving test examiners, are a result of the government and Cabinet Office making unilateral changes to the civil service compensation scheme.

The changes will see staff robbed of up to a third of their entitlements and see loyal civil and public servants lose tens of thousands of pounds if they are forced out of a job. The government is looking to save £500 million through the changes, based on the number of jobs it has axed over the last three years.

With all the main political parties planning deep spending cuts, the union fears that the cuts to the scheme will lead to tens of thousands of job losses on the cheap.

The union’s national executive committee will be meeting next week on 2, 3 and 4 March to finalise further strike dates, which could include national walkouts and targeted strike action.

Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “These cuts, which will see loyal civil and public servants lose tens of thousands of pounds if they are forced out of a job, are more about crude politicking than making savings.

“We have suggested ways in which the government can make these savings whilst protecting the rights of existing members, yet it seems intent on penalising the people who keep this country running.

“With civil and public service jobs increasingly at risk, this is a cynical attempt to cut jobs on the cheap which will ultimately damage the services we all rely on. The government needs to recognise the depth of anger which has been demonstrated by this ballot result and find the political will to negotiate a settlement that avoids a sustained campaign of industrial action.”

Some final thoughts from me:-

The other unions didn’t ask their members what they thought about the new terms, they just decided on behalf of the membership. I know that some of the members of those unions are angry about that and would not have agreed to the terms if their union had asked them.

The PCS union is not affiliated to any political party.

Strike action is always a last resort which comes about because meaningful communications have broken down!

My original post on the proposals can be viewed here.