MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Resource distribution systems
blip. It has to go up to Personnel or up to the Admin side of
things rather than me having those powers. So there is a tension
there. And I think the Civil Service has moved on more than we
have. We haven’t, even in PTC and now in PCS, really adopted
a model which empowers people and gives them the tools to do
their jobs (Interviewee H)
And also at regional level:-
I think there is often a worry at times which is that the regions to
an extent are looking for more control of the decision making --
for example at the beginning, overtime had to be authorised in
London. Well, why should overtime be authorised in London --
you know about it -- why should you have to lift the phone?
(Interviewee D)
I think it is ludicrous that you pay someone my salary and if I
want to spend £10 on something I have to phone somebody in
London to get it cleared. It's crazy. And if I want one of my
members of staff to work overtime, I have to phone London and
it authorised by somebody in London. I ought to be able to
make those decisions. (Interviewee M)
As was clear from the observation by the Financial Officer, lay
members are involved in the budgetary process and issues of budgets
supporting the democratic process were specifically raised. At the time
the research was carried out, however, PCS was making a surplus. So
there was not much question about making savings, nor complaints
about the difficulty of being better resourced in staff terms; furthermore
managers would not at the time have been exercised, as they are in
some unions, about the effect that cutting expenditure might have had
on the union’s democratic structure:-
Nothing succeeds like success and financially we are doing
phenomenally well. Whatever anyone thinks about the merger
and no matter what they think about whether it was the right
thing or not, what you could not deny is the financial strength
which it has given us. It is extraordinary. Since that has become
obvious to everybody, that political interest has waned markedly.
(Interviewee C)
This would not be the case today; PCS’s financial strength was eroded
by a strike in the Benefits Agency and subsequent budgets have, it is
reported, been the subject of significant angst. This process was not
part of this research.
In terms of physical resources, PTC had occupied a warren of offices in
Southwark and CPSA a relatively new building adjacent to Clapham
Junction station. In addition, IRSF had a building in Victoria which had
been ring-fenced for the Revenue Group which had been concerned
about PTC’s finances on merger and wanted to make sure that its
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