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04.11.08

Gower AM Backs DVLA Staff claim for Rate for the Job

Gower Labour AM Edwina Hart, along with other AMs, met with members of the PCS Union today (Tuesday 4 Nov) who are employed at the DVLA in Swansea. PCS members and there union representatives were lobbying members of the National Assembly for Wales over the UK Government’s application of regional pay policy in the UK civil service and the knock on effect of a pay gap for the DVLA’s predominantly female staff.

Mrs Hart said:

“As a former active trade unionist I very much support the ethos of paying the rate for the job. The PCS is calling on the Department for Transport to investigate an apparent pay inequality issue and I consider that request to be entirely reasonable.”

The location of DVLA’s headquarters in Swansea exploits local employment market conditions to such an extent that the predominantly female DVLA workforce are paid on average 16% less than their colleagues who work for the same employer, the Department of Transport (DfT), located in other parts of the UK, mainly in the English regions. This pay gap is equivalent to DVLA staff working for free for the rest of the year, compared to their DfT colleagues.

The DfT has refused to investigate this pay inequality and the link between gender and pay in the DVLA and the rest of the department. The union is currently seeking a judicial review against the DfT and lodging equal pay claims.

PCS Senior National Officer for Wales, Jeff Evans said:

"We believe staff should be paid the rate for the job whether they work in Swansea or Swindon. This cynical exploitation by the Treasury of local market conditions in Swansea impacts, not just on the DVLA workers but also on the Swansea and West Wales economy which loses out to the tune of £13 million each year.”