Payday fury as TPR imposes unacceptable pay offer

PCS members working for The Pensions Regulator (TPR) are currently on strike after being offered just a 3% pay rise and seeing this effort by management to impose an unacceptable pay offer.  

The over 300 PCS members working for TPR are on strike again today (29) and tomorrow (30 November), as well as on 6, 7, 8, 12, 13 and 14 December.  

This comes after 11 days of action in October and seven days already in November, building on the strike action already taken between 5 and 18 September in pursuit of our national campaign demands.  

The branch - which has increased PCS membership by 135% since these actions began in September - is calling for a massive show of solidarity on the picket line on payday (30 November).

There have been well-attended and lively pickets throughout this dispute. Last week, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, MP for Brighton Kemptown, visited the picket to express his solidarity, while many passers-by continue to show their support for our members. 

Why are members angry? 

TPR is only offering a pay rise of 3% while other civil service employers are paying a minimum of 4.5%, with an additional 0.5% of the overall pay pot to be targeted at the worst-paid staff.  

One member’s pay has only risen by 7% since 2014, when “council tax has gone up by 32%, my gas and electricity by 174% and my train fare by 40%”.  

“I enjoy the work I do; I've made a difference to the chance of people receiving the pension they have been promised,” they said. “But being undervalued really does lead me to question whether my career belongs in the public sector in future.” 

Another member said that, even though the TPR offers performance-related pay, no additional pay was given despite two successive years of either exceeding or meeting expectations on performance. 

Struggling to make ends meet

A third member, who has been working at TPR for close to 12 years, tells us that they have never received a bonus while pay increases “have always been the minimum 1% or 0.75% or nothing”.  

“I'm now at the point where I am not prepared to go the extra mile”, they added. “I don't even understand what actually constitutes that extra mile.” 

A fourth member told us: “It has reached the point where I am struggling to pay my bills and may have to take a second job at weekends to make ends meet. A 4.5% pay rise would make a huge difference to me and it sickens me when I see ExCo members receiving bonuses of £15k when they often already earn near to £150k.” 

How to show your support for TPR strikers 

• Visit the picket lines on strike days outside Telecom House, 125-135 Preston Road, Brighton BN1 6AF on 30 November and 6, 7, 8, 12, 13 and 14 December. 
• Send messages of support to editor@pcs.org.uk  
• You can also support our striking members by making an online donation to our strike fund.   

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