Advice for Surplus Staff

Lewis Bevan, Assistant Group Secretary Secretary

Background

We issued BB/452/11 on 7 December 2011 to explain that HMRC had reviewed the circumstances of all staff that had been in the Redeployment Pool for more than 6 months. These members of staff had been identified as being in one of three groups, the third of which consisted of members who were to be declared “surplus”. As a result, 48 members of staff received letters shortly before Christmas confirming that they would be declared as “surplus”, and inviting them to apply for Voluntary Redundancy (VR). The timescale proposed in the letter is as follows:

  • w/c 16 January – invitations to apply for VR to be issued
  • 31 January – deadline for applying for VR – followed by issue of quotes
  • 29 February – deadline for final decisions by members on offers of VR
  • 31 May – last day of service for those whose VR applications have been accepted

TUS discussions

We have been in detailed discussions with HMRC about the invitations to apply for VR, and can report as follows. Firstly, the letter sent to surplus staff also offers them “the opportunity to have a discussion (with a member of the Workforce Management Programme (WMP) team) to talk about your possible redeployment solutions and personal circumstances and ask any questions you have in relation to being declared surplus”. We recommend that surplus members do take this opportunity; you are entitled (if you so wish) to be accompanied at this meeting by your TUS representative. Arrangements for these meetings are already being made, and they are expected to be concluded well before the end of January.

      Secondly, HMRC has confirmed to us that they are now exploring redeployment solutions for all surplus staff. These solutions will involve transfer to another HMRC job at the member’s substantive grade, and within Reasonable Daily Travel (RDT). Exceptionally, the job may entail being transferred to another Government Department.

Those offered VR (which has a payment cap for those under 60 equivalent to 21 months pay) may be worried that if they don’t accept VR they may be headed for Compulsory Redundancy, which has a payment cap equivalent to 12 months pay.

PCS has agreement protocols in place with HMRC and with the Cabinet Office that ensure that everything possible is done to find redeployment solutions for all staff threatened with possible redundancy, and these protocols have been used very successfully in the past to avoid the need for compulsory redundancies. It remains our aim to ensure that every member who does not wish to accept VR is found an acceptable alternative job, and we expect to be working closely with the WMP team in the coming weeks to ensure that these protocols are followed.

HMRC has confirmed to us that alternative redeployment solutions will continue to be sought for all surplus staff right up until final acceptance of an application for VR.

Action

Members who have been declared surplus, and their PCS reps, are invited to contact us, via our HMRC email addresses, if they have any comments/queries on the contents of this Briefing.