Consider...
You come to work at 6am. You sit at your desk, doing the same work until midday. You get half an hour for lunch. You then return to your desk, doing the same work until 6pm. You do not get any tea breaks, cigarette breaks or breaks of any kind. You have to do a certain amount of work each day. If by 6pm you haven’t done it, you stay until you do. If you are too sick to come to work, you do not get sick pay, indeed you may find that when you return someone else is doing your job and you are no longer needed. No notice, no pay-off. You do not get any holidays, save Christmas Day and you do not get paid for that. Your pay is poor and there is no guarantee that you will get paid as much this month as you did last month. Whilst we are at it the buildings are not safe. The lighting is inadequate, there is no heating or ventilation. There are no fire escapes, let alone evacuation procedures. If there is a fire, it’s everyone for themselves. If you are a lucky one, the boss may throw the odd perk at you, but if you are one of the many unlucky ones you are subject to bullying and harassment by the boss. And there is absolutely nothing you can do about.

Who works in a place like this?
The answer is YOU COULD. You may laugh, but 100 years ago our forefathers worked in these very conditions in the mills and factories. It was only the advent of the Trade Union movement that meant these working conditions were improved. The Trade Union Movement has been at the forefront of every single positive legislative change made in the last century.

So for every single one of you who thinks and says “I do not believe in Trade Unions” remember, if it was not for the Trade Union Movement you would not enjoy the benefits and improved working practices you currently have.

There is argument that we often hear… “Why should I join the Union if I have got all these benefits for free?” It is a good question and it does have a simple answer. In the old days, to a certain degree, your managers looked after you. They would arrange your training, they would tell you what was going on and they would sort your report out for you. They cannot do that anymore. Departmental culture has shifted considerably in a short amount of time. In a nutshell you are now responsible for yourself.

So who do you turn to if you do something wrong, or as in the majority of cases we deal with, the brown stuff has just hit the fan for no fault of yourself? You can of course still see your Manager, but what if your Manager is part of the problem? Well if you are not a Member, then you are very much on your own. If of course you are one of the 1150 people who are Members of PCS Southend, then you can come to us.

So what do we deal with?
We can deal with anything covered in the Departmental Guidance. Anything covered in Employment Law. We are able to talk directly to your Managers and Senior Managers. In many cases we have good working relationships with them. Indeed, on the whole they encourage staff to join the Union.

We also offer a wide range of non work benefits such as legal advice, medical advice financial services etc.

So what do I do now?
If we can help you, fill out the application below, and send it to us at the address supplied. We will be happy to answer any queries you may have regarding the PCS and policies. Please use the relevant e-mail address supplied on the contacts page of this website.