Defending MOD jobs in Liverpool and Manchester

14/10/2022

Keep Local Jobs, Local.

PCS have orgainsed a rally on Friday 21st October at Exchange Flags where a number of MP's will be joining us to highlight our concerns over the DBS WPP and to ask you what you think our next steps should be. We are also undertaking a Parliamentary Lobby on the 2nd November and would like to hear from those members of the PCS who work in DBS in the NW, who would like to join us in lobbying their MP over getting the right outcome over the WPP for all members of staff impacted by it and ensuring at the same time that business outputs are protected.

Join the PCS defence sector members rally to oppose the threats to your jobs outside Walker House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool L2 3YL at noon on 21 October, come and oppose the closure of Walker House and Cheadle workplaces and the move to Talbot Gateway.

Facility time will not be provided for members to attend the rally.

The rally will be addressed by Mick Whitley MP for Birkenhead, and Ian Byrne MP for West Derby, PCS deputy president Martin Cavanagh and defence group executive member Andy Boylan.

How can you get involved?

Attend the rally outside Walker House, please contact Caroline Turner in our Liverpool regional office to let her know you can attend at [email protected]

Use our e-action to contact your MP to ask them to support the campaign and talk to your colleagues and encourage them to do the same.

We are planning to take a small delegation of members to London, PCS will cover the travel costs, to lobby MPs and take the parliamentary campaign to save Cheadle Hulme and Walker House jobs to the heart of Government. If you would like to get involved email [email protected]

Details
> November 2nd - 2pm-6pm Join the lobby of MPs in London | TUC
Methodist Central Hall and Houses of Parliament
> Register with the TUC to confirm your attendance and receive additional information regarding the format for the day, how to contact your MP and what information you should take when meeting your MP and discussing your campaign - Parliamentary Lobby - 2 November - Sign up! (typeform.com)

05/09/2022

On the 4th August 2022 the Ministry of Defence's Defence Business Services published a consultation document detailed that a business case had been signed off by the Minister and Secretary of State to consolidate jobs from Liverpool and Manchester into Blackpool.

We believe this decision was predetermined as the decision was announced at the Tory party conference in March 2022.

The consultation document details that the decision to move some 600 jobs is based on value for money; yet the value for money test shows that in real terms there was on a marginal difference between consolidating in Liverpool or Blackpool.

Looking at the constituencies where the jobs are being landed in Blackpool, the question has to be asked - Was the decision based on moving jobs into Tory constituencies at any cost?

04/09/2022

In Feb 2021 we had the following concerns:

The WPP was initiated to look at the possibility of rationalising the DBS estate in the North West.

Staff in the North West were informed on the 10th February 2021 that a decision had been made to consolidate to a single site within the North West. This decision was made without a fully costed business case being produced, without funding being agreed to deliver a decision to consolidate to a single site, without the MCDA process being completed appropriately, without a fully worked up business continuity risk assessment and without a consultation document being issued until two weeks after the announcement.



Our concerns go further than the above. The SoS has been engaged in the WPP. I am concerned that a predetermined decision has been made and the WPP are working to ensure that the outcome delivers a consolidation answer of Blackpool and Fylde.

02/09/2022

Over 12 months after Defence Business Services (DBS) announced it was consolidating its North West estate from three to one; they announced last week that DBS would consolidate to the Blackpool Government.

The government hubs at Liverpool and Manchester have been excluded from the solution and believe instead, the decision to consolidate to Blackpool is a predetermined political decision as evidenced by the same announcement being given at the Tory party conference earlier this year.

PCS believe that the decision puts defence outputs at risk and is asking all our members to complete the e-action below expressing this concern and ask for jobs to be saved by brining the government hubs of Liverpool and Manchester into the proposal to save jobs.

https://e-activist.com/page/111369/action/1

Can you ask your MP to help save Defence Jobs and Services?