pcsleedshmrc Uncategorized

Glastonbury 2022 – Volunteers Needed

Would you like to go on a working holiday to Glastonbury Festival this June?

Simon Brett, Peter Goddard, and Jacqui Goddard from your PCS branch, and others from various PCS branches around the country, have gone for free to Glastonbury, Latitude, and other festivals with the Workers Beer Company over past few years.

This involves volunteering to behind the bars for part of the time at the festival. Outside of this Volunteers are free to enjoy the festival, and part of the money from the bars is then given to PCS to help with our union campaigning work and the union fighting fund.

What You Get

  • Free transport to and from the Glastonbury festival site.
  • Free meals provided.
  • Some free drinks.
  • Free secure camping.
  • Full training on bar work – no prior experience needed!
  • Freedom to enjoy the festival outside of shifts.

For more information about all that Glastonbury Festival has to offer (spoiler alert – Kendrick Lamar!), please visit the Glastonbury 2022 website.

Requirements

  • You are expected to work shifts at the bar as and when you are needed. This will not be for the entirety of the festival, but you are expected to work the shifts you say you are going to work.
  • You must bring your own tent and camping gear.
  • You are expected to be on the festival site from Tuesday 21 June and remain onsite till Monday 27 June.
  • You need to be a member of PCS or another union.

How do I get involved?

If you would be interested in joining us volnteering at Glastonbury, the best thing you can do is get in touch using our contact form. Alternatively, send an email to one of your union reps, who will provide you with more information.

Glastonbury is heavily subscribed with applications from interested parties wanting to work and attend for free, so our Branch will need to apply soon. Because we have established a reputation as a reliable group, we have a good chance of our application being accepted for not only Glastonbury Festival, but other festivals too, so long as we have enough volunteers (six is the minimum).

As previously stated, travel is provided, and the travel pick up point and drop off point will be in Leeds near the Bus Station. Further details of this will be made available later in the year after all applicants are confirmed.

Please note that this offer is only available to those who are PCS members, or members of another union. If anyone not a member of PCS is interested in taking part, they will first have to join PCS or join another union relevant to their place of work or situation.

pcsleedshmrc Equality, News

Women’s History Month March 2022

Following on from International Women’s Day on 8th March 2022 there are still lots of events taking place at various venues in the region.

Here’s just a few our Race Awareness Officer Leatitia Pringle thinks you shouldn’t miss out on…

Women’s History Month Screening: The Watermelon Woman Tickets, Thu 24 Mar 2022 at 19:00 | Eventbrite

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When Worlds Collide: Arts and Academia Tickets, Mon 28 Mar 2022 at 18:00 | Eventbrite

For more Eventbrite events you can access PCS Digital or select the following link: Leeds, United Kingdom International Women’s Day Events – This Month | Eventbrite

pcsleedshmrc Equality, News

International Women’s Day Events

8th March 2022 is International Women’s Day (IWD). As such, our Women’s Officers Nahid Batool and Inkesha Aktar are delivering workshops covering various topics affecting women.

These are three events being delivered across the day:

  • 09:00-10:00 – Marie Younger – Career Progression within the Civil Service as a woman
  • 12:00-13:00 – Josh McMorland – Domestic Abuse
  • 15:00-16:00 – Lorna Merry (PCS Group President) – Women in the Workplace

If you work for HMRC at Leeds you should be given work time to go to one or more of these events. You should first get permission from you manager to attend, then you can register using the Sharepoint Spreadsheet shared with members via the email sent on the 7 March at 10:52. If you are not a member, please talk to one of your reps about attending, as the invite to these events is extended to all colleagues regardeless of PCS membership (although we would encourage you to become a member).

Once you have registered for the events, you should receive a calendar invite via your HMRC email. We hope to see you there.

pcsleedshmrc Campaigns, Guidance, News, Pay

Your Consultative Ballot 2022

If you are a member of PCS, you should have received your Consultative Ballot today. We advise you vote YES.

The Consultative Ballot is a crucial part of PCS’s Pay and Pensions campaign. It asks if you would be willing to take part in industrial action to support the campaign for fairer pay and pensions. A Consultative Ballot is a way of finding out members’ views, and a second ballot is always held before any strike action is taken.

Throughout the campaign, please remember that under the employee relations agreement you cannot use HMRC systems to talk about industrial action.

Why you should vote YES

PCS urges you to vote YES on both options on the ballot. If PCS have a clear message from members saying they would be willing to take industrial action, the union will be in a much stronger position when it comes to negotiating everything—not just pay and pensions—as it proves members are willing to stand up for these issues. Voting YES at this stage does not oblige you to take action at a later date, but it does give us more negotiating power before proceeding to a strike.

Your Ballot

Voting ends on 21 March. The ballot should have been emailed to you on your main registered email with PCS. If you have not received the ballot, the details PCS hold about you are probably out of date, and you need to update them on PCS Digital.

If you are a PCS member working in Leeds, and want to know more about the Pay and Pensions campaign and the voting process, please contact one of your union reps, or alternatively get in touch using our contact form.

Find out more:

pcsleedshmrc Campaigns, Guidance, News

The Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the Leeds & District Revenue and Customs Branch will take place on Tuesday 1 March 2022.

It begins at 10:30am at the Ground Floor Business Events centre of 7/8 Wellington Place. It lasts 2 hours, and all members are invited to attend. It will be possible to attend the meeting virtually, so members not working from the office will be able to come. It is a great opportunity to discover what your branch has achieved over the past year, and to have your say in the decisions that shape our future. With the PCS Pay and Pensions ballot fast approaching, this year’s AGM is as important as ever.

Whilst the branch strives to make the AGM as accessible as possible to all, the topics covered and terms used in the meeting can be confusing, especially for new members not experienced in trade unionism. If you come in knowing what to expect, chances are you’ll find it easier to follow and contribute. Below is a guide to what will take place in your AGM:

  1. The Branch Chair gives opening remarks, greeting and welcoming members and union reps.
  2. Apologies are given from reps and members unable to attend the meeting. The Branch Annual report and accounts are circulated, giving insight into your unions actions over the past year, and transparency over its finances.
  3. An open forum is provided for discussion of matters arising.
  4. Branch Officers are elected; these are the people who will work to make your union branch the best it can be, and represent you in personal cases for the year to come. If you are a member, you are entitled to vote.
  5. You are also given the opportunity to vote on our nominations to Group and National officers: the people who will shape the national direction of the union for both HMRC and the Civil Service as a whole.
  6. Motions are submitted and voted on. These motions instruct how your union branch is run, and if you are a member, you are entitled to vote.

If you are a member and HRMC employee, you are entitled to time away from your post to attend the meeting; however, this is to be treated as your own time and not time at work. We encourage all members to attend, so you can have your say and help us in the fight towards a fairer workplace.

We hope to see you there.

pcsleedshmrc Campaigns, Pay

The Great Pensions Robbery: How Much are You Losing?

If you work in the Civil Service, chances are you are overpaying your pension by 2%. This means you lose on average £500 a year, and this money should be paid back.

This much money makes a huge difference, and with the upcoming cost of living increases and hikes in National Insurance and energy prices, for many members it could mean the difference between living comfortably and struggling. If PCS’s Pay & Pensions campaign is successful, it could mean getting your overpayments repayed to you, backdated from April 2019 when the contribution rate was incorrectly changed.

By using the Pensions Loss Calculator, you can find out exactly how much you are losing each year. The answer will probably shock and anger you, and the best thing you can do is to vote in the upcoming consultative ballot. This way, you can tell PCS what you are what action you would be willing to take to make a change.

In order to vote in the consultative ballot, you will need to make sure your details are up-to-date on PCS Digital. If you work in HMRC Leeds and want more information on how to do this, or how to get involved locally in the campaign, speak to a one of the Leeds union reps.

Further Info:

pcsleedshmrc Campaigns, Pay

PCS Pay and Pensions Campaign

On 14 February 2022, PCS will be holding a consultative ballot as part of our campaign to raise pay, pensions, and living standards across the Civil Service.

Sectors across the Civil Service have been subject to pay freezes, National Insurance rises, and pensions overpayments which leave public sector workers out of pocket. In light of the hard work that Civil Servants have done throughout the pandemic to keep our country afloat, this is bitterly unfair.

A consultative ballot would ask members what action they would be prepared to take in the fight for better pay and living conditions. It is not a strike ballot, and depending on the results of the consultative ballot, an industrial action ballot may take place later.

If you are a member, we encourage you to ensure you vote and have your say when the time comes, and we will be posting updates in the coming weeks to give more insight into the pay campaign and let you know about related events.

Throughout the campaign, please remember that under the employee relations agreement you cannot use HMRC systems to talk about industrial action.

pcsleedshmrc Uncategorized

Climate Justice Demonstration in Leeds on 6 November

On 6th November 2021, there will be a demonstration in Millienium Square in Leeds, as part of the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice. It is being organised by the COP26 Coalition, starting from 11:30 when protestors will assemble. Following assembly, there will be a march from 1pm to a rally at 3pm which will have speakers, stalls and music.

The COP26 Coalition is a UK-based coalition organising around issues of climate justice, during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). It is a display of solidarity between different groups all affected by climate change; trade unions, grassroots community campaigns, faith groups, NGOs, youth groups, and migrant and racial justice networks are but a few of the groups commited to raising awareness and demanding justice around the issue.

Cliamte change is an existential threat that threatens all of us. Workers have a unique stake: we are affected by climate change, but workplaces are also a major contributor to it, and we as workers can be at the heart of a greener, fairer society. PCS has a history of campaigning on environmental and climate issues, generally and in workplaces, though our network of green reps. Visit the PCS website for more information on our union and climate change.

To keep updated we suggest you follow the Facebook Event for the Trade Union & Workers Bloc. For more information you can also contact our Environmental Officer.

pcsleedshmrc Guidance, News, Uncategorized

Welcome To The PCS HMRC Leeds Branch Website

Welcome. This website has been created by the Leeds HMRC Branch Executive Committee to bring you news about PCS campaigns, workplace rights, and union events across Leeds workplaces. It is also here to direct you to any resources you may find helpful, and make it easy for you to contact us. If you have an issue at work or would like to get involved in the union, you can contact us by getting in touch with one of your reps, or by using our contact form.

Over the coming year we hope to expand this website to include information about our campaigns, branch history, and an archive of our publications. This is an ongoing process and is only possible with the help of union members and activists; if you are a rep or advocate and you would like to get involved in making and maintaining this website, please get in touch.