About to kick off

The room is set up for this evening's workshop on campaigning skills, and it doesn't look too shabby.

Local MP, John Thurso, has been active again, grilling HMRC boss Leslie Strathie, who has offered to meet with him to discuss the concerns he has raised, and the local coverage of the campaign has been excellent.

Tonight should lead to more energy and confidence in the local campaigning work, and thanks to the hard work of Neil Bell, PCS learning project officer for the Highlands and Islands, who will be speaking about Skills for Life and the European Social Fund, refreshments are being provided!

Letters of support

Two hugely appreciated letters of support have arrived, the first of which came from the PCS Branch in East Kilbride, the second from Dundee:

To: Marjory Shane, Branch Secretary, Mark Chapman Branch Chair, Hamish Drummond, GEC & all colleagues in Wick

From: Alex Wilson, Branch Secretary, & Bob Farmer, Branch Chair, East Kilbride Revenue & Customs Branch

Date: 17/3/11

Subject: Wick Wants Work campaign

Marjory, Mark, Hamish, all,

I’m writing to you formally to express our support for the campaign to retain an HMRC presence in Wick.

As fellow PCS members we are only too well aware of the threat of closure to many offices in the HMRC estate and the massive impact such closures have on the members affected & local community. We understand the particular impact the closure of Wick would have given the lack of any other Government office in the area.

We believe this cut is unnecessary and avoidable, in fact given the HMRC NPS system which can send work to any network computer anywhere in the country we believe those working for HMRC in the area could easily be increased. We believe that only through increases in staffing can the billions of uncollected, evaded and legally avoided be properly addressed and believe the people of Wick can play an intrinsic role in addressing this tax gap.

If there is anything we, our Branch Committee or our members can do to support the campaign further please don’t hesitate to contact us,

Alex Wilson

PCS Branch Secretary 

Bob Farmer

PCS Branch Chairperson

East Kilbride Revenue Branch

The second, equally appreciated, came from Dundee Branch:

PCS Revenue & Customs Dundee Branch

HMRC Sidlaw House

4 Explorer Road

Dundee

DD2 1DX

23 March 2011

Dear Allan,

Please pass on to members and campaigners in Wick a message of solidarity and support from Dundee Branch.

The fight you have put up in recent years has been inspirational, and we wholeheartedly endorse the campaigning objectives of the Wick Wants Work Campaign.

Rural Scotland has been hit hard by the recession, and the loss of jobs in the Private Sector must not be compounded by the withdrawal of Public Sector work also.

As you fight for your livelihoods, know that we stand alongside you, and please let us know if there are any actions that we as a Branch can take in support of your Campaign.

Yours Fraternally,

Kenny Watson

PCS Acting Branch Secretary

A few short updates

Just a few wee updates - apologies for the lack of a coherent narrative to them, but just wanted to flag up a few points in a hurry!

Letters have been set to both Danny Alexander, MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and Jamie Stone, MSP, highlighting the plight of Wick staff and seeking their action to secure continuing employment on the closure of the Tax Gap in Wick.  When we get their responses, a further update will be posted.

The agenda for a training workshop to be held in Wick on the evening of  the 31st of March has now been completed, and the venue booked.  Please contact Neil Bell if you are interested in taking part.

A branch briefing has been issued to PCS Branches in Revenue & Customs, and within 24 hours, orders for 1400 extra stickers had been received from around the country, which is outstanding!

Finally, the Wick Wants Work! banner was again unfolded on Friday at a meeting of the PCS Scotland Committee, at which support for the campaign was unanimous.

£16,000,000,000 lost to the economy, MP meeting, stickers!

It speaks for itself, really...


On Friday past, WWW Campaigners met with local MP, John Thurso, and Highlands & Islands Enterprise, to bring them up to speed on the response to Wednesday's announcement, and discuss the way forward for the Parliamentary Campaign.  A full report will hopefully be published here shortly.

In other news, The Wick Wants Work stickers were proudly sported at the STUC Trades Councils Conference on Saturday, and photographs of delegates wearing the must have fashion accessory of the season, and supporting the campaign, would be available had only your humble correspondent remembered his camera!

If you would like stickers to distribute, please email Drummondpcs (address typed like this to avoid spambots getting hold of it) at aol dot com with your address, and how many you would like.  We would ask that you support the campaign by sending a few snaps of them being worn to the same address, and we'll post them up here.

Behind the Banner

The new banner unfurled!

Today twenty members of staff in HMRC's Wick Office were formally told by their employer that their office will close on 31 March 2012.

In hopes of quietly achieving this, HMRC put on the table a voluntary exit offer worth up to 21 months' salary.

The PCS Members behind the Wick Wants Work campaign have, however, made clear that they are not willing to take the money and run.  While there is will, there is hope, and the willpower of the Wick Wants Work campaigners  should never be underestimated. 

A press release to the local media generated significant interest, and an interview has been featured on Moray Firth Radio since the announcement to staff was made.

One local MSP, Jamie Stone, intends to ask a question in Holyrood, while another, David Stewart, has issued his own press release in support of the campaign.

On Friday, Campaigners will be meeting with local MP, John Thurso, to bring him up to speed on the annoucement, and ask for his further support as the Campaign builds.

Leaflets have gone out in town, and stickers are being sported by nearby Jobcentre employees already.

With your support, jobs in Wick CAN be saved - please stand by these brave workers as they fight to save their jobs.

Campaign Launches Tomorrow

According to Stewart Lee, the 41st best Standup Comedian in the history of the world ever, everyone needs a manifesto.

This, I guess, is ours.

Wick is a wee town (population 7,333) in Caithness, in the (very) far North of Scotland.  The local economy has just suffered a major blow with the announcement that 2,000 jobs are to go in the next few years from the Dounreay power station, the biggest local employer by far.

HMRC, the Government Department formed through the merger of the old Inland Revenue and HM Customs & Excise, currently employ twenty staff in Wick,  but they have announced their intention to close the office permanently, offering only a one-day-a-week face to face service, staffed by two people.

The Public & Commercial Services Union, which represents the twenty staff facing the axe in Wick, believe that the removal of the permanent HMRC presence in Caithness is in no way necessary, and, supported by the local Council, the local TUC, and the local Community, are campaigning for the retention of these jobs in the local economy.

We believe that, with a tax gap of £120,000,000,000 across the UK, and the vast majority of HMRC work entirely portable thanks to IT improvements, there is a perfectly sound rationale for the retention of the HMRC presence in Caithness, and, indeed, there could easily be an expansion of HMRC employment in the area to the benefit of the UK exchequer.

We oppose the closure of HMRC Wick.

We support the Closure of the Tax Gap.

We have not given up on Caithness, even if HMRC seem to have done so.

To this end, we support all campaigns for the retention and creation of jobs in Caithness, and oppose any cuts in public services until every last penny owed to the exchequer has been collected, and everybody is paying their fair share.

There you go, a manifesto.

Please support the Wick Wants Work! Facebook page here: http://tinyurl.com/6hxog4h

A petition will soon be posted online, and your signature to that would be invaluable.  This is about 20 people, and the wee community they live and work in - they need all the support they can get.