The dispute at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over COVID safety is now in its fifth month.
Whereas only a skeleton staff of around 250 was required to attend the workplace during the first wave of the pandemic, over 2,000 of the Agency’s 5,500 strong workforce had been forced to return last September making a serious outbreak during the second wave almost inevitable.
After balloting members in March this year, PCS embarked on a strategy of prolonged targeted strike action, bringing out selected groups of members at different times and paying them £40 a day strike pay. Originally, the main demand of the union was to drastically reduce the numbers required to attend the workplace, by offering more homeworking. However, this has since been amended to focus on a demand for agreement on a phased, controlled return to the workplace when it is safe to do so.
The employer made an offer in late May which included commitment to an agreed timetable to return to the workplace, as well as a one-off financial payment of £200 to all staff and 2 days flexi credit. It appears that this offer would have been recommended to members to end the dispute, but the offer was withdrawn at the last minute due to intervention at ministerial level. It is evident that a political decision was made to take on the union rather than to work for a settlement.
The targeted action is continuing with the Drivers Medical Group on strike for the whole of August. Mark Serwotka pledged back in May that PCS was prepared to fight on for months to come if necessary. However, under the anti-union legislation, there must be a new ballot to renew the mandate after 6 months and this is due in September. There will also be a consultative ballot from 11th August to build for the statutory ballot and it is essential that there is a big majority for continuing the action.
In the meantime, DVLA has been unilaterally returning more staff to the workplace with no action being taken to prevent this.
Supporters of the Broad Left Network have consistently put forward suggestions with the aim of supporting and strengthening the action. BLN supporters have advocated:-
- Decisive action by collective use of S44 back in December/January when the outbreak occurred rather than wait until March to ballot with action only commencing in April,
- Escalating the targeted action to include all DVLA members. It was the threat of such action that led to management’s offer in May, but the action was never carried out and has not been revived since. It is unlikely that targeted action will be enough to bring the dispute to a satisfactory conclusion. The targeted action should be linked to a move to an all – out strike if management do not agree to the union’s demands.
- Accompany the strike action with an overtime ban. The union has not called for an overtime ban at any point in the dispute.
- Working from home to be the default position with the necessary investment in technology to enable this. Any exceptions to be agreed with PCS. This might include critical work which cannot be delivered from home, personal and domestic reasons where the risk to the individual is greater at home than if they were in the workplace.
- Challenge DVLA’s punitive sick absence regime that treats sick absence including COVID related absence as a disciplinary offence. COVID related absence must not count towards the trigger points for disciplinary action.
- Stop the forced return to the workplace now taking place by deploying collective S44 notices. Increased DVLA staffing levels will make for an unsafe workplace. Workers have the right to refuse to put themselves in an unsafe environment and the union needs to intervene. DVLA cannot be allowed to win the dispute by simply returning staff to work unchallenged.
BLN supporters are critical of the way aspects of this dispute have been handled by the LU leadership, but we do so in a constructive way with the intention of strengthening the position of PCS and the members at DVLA who have responded magnificently throughout. It is unusual in that the Left Unity leadership of PCS is directly running the dispute, with zoom meetings for members chaired by the President Fran Heathcote and addressed by General Secretary Mark Serwotka. This national intervention was prompted by headline media coverage of a major COVID outbreak with over 500 cases and one fatality at DVLA last Winter. There have now been over 650 cases in total.
The focus now must be on winning the consultative ballot and the statutory ballot that hopefully will follow. It is important that DVLA members know that support for their action is as strong as ever. Please send messages of support to responseteam@pcs.org.uk.
Donations to Fighting Fund Levy, ref DVLA, sort code 60-83-01, account number 20331490.
Dave Warren
ARMS NC member and former DVLA activist
PCS Broad Left Network 