Following on from yesterday's Public Sector strike, the spin by both the unions and government over the size/participation and effectiveness of the strike continues.
Yesterday HMRC warned taxpayers:
"You may have to wait longer for your call to HM Revenue & Customs to be answered and some smaller Enquiry Centres may be closed."
PCS claimed that up to 90% of HMRC were on strike, best not tell Jeremy Clarkson that!
HMRC counter claimed claimed that the figure was in fact 55%.
Does anyone actually know the real figure?
Do claims of 90% and counter claims of 55% actually help the staff, HMRC or the taxpayers?
To my humble view, posturing about percentages by HMRC and PCS helps no one.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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Not sure of figures but here is a quote from a local PCS rep:
ReplyDelete"Many members are seriously considering leaving the pension scheme entirely which runs contrary to the governments long term aim to encourage people to plan for their retirement."
I bet they don't!!!
It was also claimed that a local HMRC call center brought in a private firm to cover the phones. I expect the results will be analyzed very closely.
@12.17
ReplyDeleteHMRC are starting to use private sector companies to staff call centres.Fact. Nothing to do with the strike.I expect their results to be analyzed until it can be shown that they are better.Because thats what happens when a bunch of people with nothing to lose ( all within 10 years of THEIR pensions )are making strategic decisions.
I don't know whether 55% or 90% is accurate but my office has around 100-120 staff.... of which I am aware of 8 that actually went in. On this basis 90% would be more to the truth. However other offices may have had a lower walkout percentage. I haven't heard about local SMT yet though.
ReplyDeleteIn my office, 30 odd out of nearly 500 went into work. It was a good turnout for the strike marred by about 90 being allowed/encouraged to take leave.
ReplyDeleteI left HMRC some months ago but an ex-colleague told me yesterday that 90% support was about right with even a few non-union members not turning up for work.
ReplyDeleteas has been said some staff would have taken leave to protect their income therefore both the 90% and 55% could feasably be correct. i.e 90& not working but 55% on strike formally.
ReplyDelete@18:11 On that basis you would need three counts:
ReplyDelete1: Workers.
2: Strikers.
3: Hypocrites.
@18:25
ReplyDeleteI think hypocrites is a bit over the top, could just easily be people in financial hardship who took the opportunity to show their displeasure, without having to lose a day's pay.
Sadly, in the contact centre in Manchester, we weren't able to book leave on Wednesday, our resources have had the 30th blocked for leave applications for the about the past two months. So we didn't get the chance to use our own time.
"I think hypocrites is a bit over the top, could just easily be people in financial hardship who took the opportunity to show their displeasure, without having to lose a day's pay."
ReplyDeleteI think it is the perfect phrase actually. It covers those who supported a strike that lost a lot of people a days pay but could not bring themselves to do the same.
@09.46
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more. I remember a bloke in our office who was due to be on a foreign holiday on a strike day and cancelled that day's leave so that he was officially on strike.