The previous Tory Government announced changes to workplace visa rules aimed at reducing immigration. These rules set new thresholds on the minimum salary and pay per hour required for an individual to continue employment on their workplace visas. The huge increase to the income threshold leaves many PCS members unable to work in DWP.
Under the Home Office rules, annual salaries and the hourly rates of these salaries are used to determine eligibility. The Home Office guidance is based on a typical 37.5 hour contracted working week and must be pro-rated for other working patterns. The contracted hours used should be those as defined in each employee’s contract of employment. DWP employees are contracted to a 42-hour week which includes 5, 1-hour paid meal breaks.
From April 2024 legislation changed to require those on a graduate visa, who were looking to switch to a new entrant skilled worker visa, to be on a minimum salary of £30,960 and £15.88 an hour. From 1 July the executive officer national salary in DWP is £30,975, but an hourly rate of £14.13.
All members graded EO and below outside inner London do not meet this new threshold and will be forced to make difficult and distressing decisions regarding their employment and lives in the UK. This is causing extreme worry about their own and their families’ future and serious trauma and upheaval which is wholly unnecessary.
This situation not only demonstrates how low pay in the DWP is impacting members and the wider economy but clearly shows that the changes made to the immigration rules were not fit for purpose.
PCS stands committed to supporting our members’ right to remain in work and are demanding solutions are put in place to support both employees to stay in work and the employer in retaining staff, to again support members that will have to pick up the slack when hundreds of workers will be jettisoned from the workplace.
Campaign for legislative change
In the absence of a commitment from DWP to look after these members, it is clear that we need to campaign for legislative change. The current immigration rules provide harsh conditions for our low-paid members to meet and show how low pay in the civil service is now impacting society more widely.
If you are a member impacted by changes to the salary thresholds and need to make changes to workplace visas contact your local rep, if you haven’t already done so. You can find their details by logging into PCS Digital. GEC and group officers are supporting members and local reps across the county.
We will continue to push DWP and the raise this issue directly with the UK Government. We are campaigning to change the legislation by working with members of our parliamentary group.
What can you do?
We are asking all members and reps to write to their MP using our new e-action.
Our DWP group executive committee has been in consultation with the department over the application of the Home Office guidance and has demanded better interpretation of the legal changes to ensure our members are not forced out of employment and into the Home Office deportation process.
DWP has refused to improve the situation for these members, citing Home Office advice which, they say, is stopping them from making contractual changes around the calculation of hourly rates of pay.
At this point DWP has been clear that it is unable to continue to sponsor anyone at EO grade outside of central London and a small number of HEO employees on specific contracts.
We urge all members to support and protect the jobs of our DWP colleagues and their continued right to contribute to the civil service.
