Your Tax Office Services Reduced "To Save You Money"

HMRC recently announced they would be reducing the days and hours of many of the ‘Face to Face’ Tax Enquiry offices nationally.

Southend Tax Enquiry Office will from 13^th June have the following opening days and times

New Days Opening:  Monday, Wednesdays and  Fridays only

New opening times: 9.30am –  4.00pm

According to HMRC, these changes will ‘introduce more efficient working processes, requiring fewer staff, to provide an improved customer service but at a reduced cost.’

What this 22 hours weekly reduction actually means to you is

·        inconvenience of reduced opening days

·        more queues and waiting times to get appointments

·        poorer customer service, as fewer staff will be available to help you

This will especially affect the elderly and those who cannot afford lengthy and costly telephone calls to the department’s tax enquiry contact centre.

This won’t be the end of the cuts either. While HMRC continues to reduce services ‘to make efficiencies,’ the free ‘phone helplines available in tax offices will be the next service to be cut ‘to improve customer service!’ 

If you are unhappy about any of this, please make your concerns known to your local member of Parliament by writing to them at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA:

Southend East & Rochford -  James Dudderidge MP

Southend West -  David Amess MP

Rayleigh & Wickford –  Mark Francois MP

Castle Point –  Rebecca Harris MP

OR contact your local Councillor or Citizen’s Advice.

  HMRC said they consulted the public about these changes:

          Make sure you have had YOUR  say now!

PCS South East Essex Branch (R&C)

Fighting unnecessary cuts to YOUR Public Services!

UCU, NUT, ATL and PCS Strike Rally -

Unite The Resistance!

 Thursday 30th June 2011

12:30 at Victoria Circus, Southend on Sea SS1 1TJ

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Speakers include Hector Wesley PCS NEC member Doug Rouxel UCU NEC member plus other speakers from PCS, NUT, UNISON and  Southend Against The Cuts

Unless the government does an about-turn on its plans to force public sector workers to work longer and pay more for much less pension in retirement, this first joint strike will include 750,000 public servants.There is also a very real prospect of hundreds of thousands more workers joining the dispute later in the year.

Vote to strike over pensions, pay and job cuts

PCS members have voted by a clear majority in favour of strike action and action short of strike, in the dispute over pensions, pay and job cuts.

61.1% of members voted in favour of strike action and 83.6% in favour of action short of strike, on a turnout of 32.4%.

The PCS result follows yesterday’s announcement of votes in favour of strike action by teaching unions. The PCS NEC has agreed to co-ordinate action with education unions, which will lead to the biggest strike in a generation.

The NEC has agreed unanimously that unless there are significant concessions from the government, a 24 hour strike for 30 June 2011 will be called. This will be followed by an overtime ban throughout July.

Further information will follow shortly. Find out the latest at http://www.pcs.org.uk

 

PCS ballot for industrial action on 30th June

by Kerry Fairless, President of PCS R&C South East Essex Branch

PCS is working with several teachers unions to take co-ordinated action, possibly on 30th June. Throughout the summer we expect other public sector unions to start balloting members. Len McCluskey, General Secretary of UNITE, made a commitment to PCS at National Conference that his members will come to the party soon. Hopefully UNISON can get their membership records in order, so they too will be able ballot.

Our General Secretary, Mark Serwotka, has made it clear that our proposed action isn’t political posturing or a demonstration against our employers. Our action is designed to win. The action on 30th June would only be the start.

So, why are we taking action?

PensionsThe Hutton Report demands that the Civil Service Pension contributions will need to go up by 3%. Instead of a Salary Ending payment, future pension payments will be based on career average.

The media myth is that our pensions are gold plated. They are not. The average Civil Service pension pays out at just over £6000 a year.

PayThe Government has implemented a 2 year pay freeze for Civil Servants. At the same time the bankers who created the economic collapse are still receiving excessive and grotesque bonus payments. Inflation is running at 5%, food and fuel prices are escalating at a higher rate. It is expected that gas and electricity will rise by between 15% and 25% before the year is out. We are already paying 2.5% extra VAT than we used to.

JobsThe Government cuts agenda continues unabated. Civil Service jobs are being slashed left, right and centre. HMRC are due to face somewhere in the region of an 18% cut. It could be you! In Southend we had the most pre-surplus staff in the country until recently. All of our jobs could be done elsewhere in the country or by private companies. None of us are safe. The local Job Centre has few jobs, mostly in the driving, nursing and catering sectors, all at minimum wage and mostly part time.

This Government only cares about the rich, the bankers, and big business. They do not care, nor represent, people like you and I. We are merely collateral damage. Statistics on a balance sheet.

We know this Government is weak and made up of uneasy bedfellows. We have seen them squabble with each other like children in the playground. We know they can be split and divided. Our response must be as a united front. It must be unequivocal.

Leigh Folk Festival - 16th - 19th June 2011

Leigh Folk Festival  

The Largest Free Folk Festival in the Country

16th - 19th JUNE 2011

MARTIN CARTHY
 TOM PALEY, JOHN OTWAY,
EMILY PORTMAN TRIO, CASS MEURIG & NIAL CAIN,
STEVE TURNER, LUCY WARD, LUCY & JACOB FARRELL, LONDON BULGARIAN CHOIR,
MODESTE, KLEZMER KLUB, PHILLIP HENRY,
O'HOOLEY & TIDOW, PAMELA WYN SHANNON

The Southend TUC is supporting the festival again this year. We strongly urge all members to go along, with friends and families, to enjoy the great atmosphere of the festival.

Trades Unionists call for a Labour Vote on 5th May

Press Release

From Southend Trades Union Council (Southend TUC)

- For immediate use –

Trades Unionists call for a Labour Vote on 5^th May

The Southend TUC is advising all members of trades unions and everyone who is opposed to the Government’s policies of spending cuts to vote for the candidates of the Southend Labour Party on 5^th May.

We believe the reduction in public services and job losses are likely to have a devastating effect on an economically disadvantaged area like Southend on Sea, and that the situation will worsen with further cuts to be made over the next 4 years.

Southend TUC President Rachel Heemskerk said

“In our view the Southend Labour Party has demonstrated their principled opposition to cuts and job losses, particularly through their support for and participation in the local anti-cuts campaigns. Therefore, we are calling on all our supporters to vote for the Labour Party’s candidates in the elections for Southend Borough Council”.

Ends

All Together for the NHS 1st April

Join this lunchtime publicity stall, 12-2pm on Friday 1st April.  Meet under the railway bridge in Southend High Street.

Southend Against The Cuts has organised this event in support of a campaign backed by the TUC to defend the NHS against cuts and privatisation.