Outpouring of support for sacked HMRC reps
PCS would like thank the hundreds of people who have sent their support to the HMRC reps who are being subjected to trade union victimisation.
HMRC management at Benton Park View have dismissed three local PCS reps (Gordon Askew, Rachel Farmer and Joel Hamilton) while another three are facing disciplinary action.
PCS believes this is a clear case of trade union victimisation – these elected reps must be reinstated and the witch-hunt must end.
PCS will be leafleting tomorrow morning (31) from 6:45am outside the Benton Park View site to highlight the campaign against trade union victimisation.
In response to this anti-union crackdown by HMRC management, hundreds have emailed their MP through our e-action asking their political representative to support the sacked reps by writing to the Minister responsible for HMRC, James Murray.
MPs are also being asked to signing the new Early Day Motion 52, which calls on the new UK government to seek reinstatement of the sacked representatives and to engage with the union to ensure that future cases are handled appropriately and fairly by the department.
Today, PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said that PCS will "not stand back and allow our reps to be victimised", espeically since managers at Benton Park View "have a track record of targeting reps".
"We won one member his job back a few years ago and intend to do the same for Rachel, Gordon and Joel," she added. "They are hard-working volunteers who willingly give up their time to help their co-workers. They should not be losing their jobs just because management disagrees with them fulfilling their elected roles.”
How to support the sacked workers?
To increase the political awareness of this incident, Fran used her first letter to the new prime minister, Keir Starmer, to raise the issue of the dismissed Benton Park View representatives.
PCS therefore encourages members to continue using the e-action to demand that MPs pressure HMRC on the reinstatement of these reps. The more responses we receive, the stronger our collective response will be against this injustice.
An all-members meeting has been organised by the Benton View Park Branch at 6pm on 13 August on Zoom to discuss our response to this disgraceful treatment of our elected reps. Members can sign up and get access to the Zoom link by filling in an online form.
You can also send a message of solidarity to the PCS HMRC Benton Park View Branch by emailing martink@pcs.org.uk