17 March 2023 Budget announcement - what it means for DWP members

Wednesday’s Budget announcement means bad news for DWP members and bad news for the people they provide vital services for. There is no mention of more pay in the budget for hard-pressed PCS members working in the DWP but the Budget statement signals a major ramping-up of a punitive sanctions regime for claimants. At the same time doing this the government are providing tax relief on pensions for some of the wealthiest in society. Pay The budget fails completely to address the concerns over poverty pay for PCS members working in DWP and across the Civil Service. This hugely disappointing omission is despite the days of targeted and all out strike action taken by members. Because the government is refusing to listen to our reasonable demands on pay we have no choice to begin re-balloting members for further strike action from Monday 20 March. It is crucial we renew our mandate to ramp up the pressure on this government. Attacks on claimants and Jobcentre staff PCS completely opposes statement in the Budget that says: “The government will strengthen the way the UC sanctions regime is applied in Great Britain by automating parts of the process to reduce error rates, and additional training for Work Coaches to apply sanctions more effectively, including for claimants who do not look for or take up employment.” This is a massive attack on claimants that suggests there will be a huge increase in sanctioning activity unnecessarily forcing many already desperate claimants into deeper poverty to serve the failed and discredited idea that sanctioning people helps get them into work. The automation of decision making for sanctions suggests a “computer says no” culture, which means that the individual circumstances of claimants will be ignored. Particularly worrying in this statement is the implication that Work Coaches will be making sanctions decisions for claimants. Currently these decisions are made by remote decision-makers who are trained specifically to make complex decisions. Putting the onus for decision-making onto Work Coaches will destroy relationships between them and the claimants they support; sewing division, with the inevitable consequence that there will be more violent incidents in Jobcentres as claimants express their frustration with the excessively hostile environment that the government seem hell bent on creating. There is also a clear indication in the budget statement that the government and the DWP intend to extend significantly the “Jobcentre Innovation Pilot” forcing groups of claimants to attend interviews 10 times per fortnight and divisively incentivise staff in 30% of Jobcentres with insulting bonuses. The Budget statement also includes attacks on parents, in-work claimants and disabled people. The government seem intent on attacking the majority of citizens in this country. PCS demands a supportive social security system PCS will continue to negotiate and campaign for a fairer social security system. We will demand that the system allows our members to support and not punish people who need a social security system. Our demand is for a massive increase in staff to process benefits and support claimants in Jobcentres. PCS negotiators will press for these demands and for mitigation against the worst aspects of the government’s welfare strategy, particularly where they will result in compromising member safety. We will use all means at our disposal to fight for members safety and for a fairer social security system.