THE Con-Dem coalition government’s “naked attempt” to bankrupt the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union was today  rejected unanimously in a Supreme Court ruling.

The stunning victory paves the way for the union to sue the Home Office, Department for Food and Rural Affairs and HM Revenue & Customs for millions of pounds of compensation and costs.

This is on top of the £3 million already settled out of court by the Department for Work and Pensions. 

Ministers in 2014 encouraged departments to remove the check-off facility which had allowed workers to pay their union dues direct from their salary, resulting in PCS losing tens of thousands of members.

The union won High Court victories against the four departments for cancelling check-off.

While the DWP settled out of court in 2019 for £3m, the Home Office, Defra and HMRC challenged the ruling in the Court of Appeal.

The Supreme Court has now ruled that PCS was entitled to sue the departments for breach of contract as a third party.

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Today’s decision is vindication of our position. The attack on check-off was a naked attempt by the coalition government to bankrupt our union, thereby denying PCS members a collective voice in the workplace.

“It was a shameful period in the history of industrial relations in the Civil Service. We hope the new government will signal its intent to improve matters by now doing the right thing and agreeing appropriate damages with us.

“I pay tribute to all PCS members, representatives and staff who saw off this attack. Our decade-long legal battle through the courts demonstrates our determination to ensure that our union will leave no stone unturned in fighting for justice.”

The government was contacted for comment.