Leicester City Council union members and PCS have great opportunity to act in solidarity

On Wednesday 19th January 2011 the joint trade union side side at Leicester City Council are organising a rally in the Town Hall Square at 12:30 to protest at the budget cuts being proposed by the authority.

The cuts may be leaked before this and a spontaneous protest may occur, but the trade unions are looking for support on the 19th and we hope our members will attend the lunch time rally to make it one of the biggest Leicester has ever seen. Put the date in your diary now.

More details will follow in the New Year.

Leicestershire Against the Cuts event on 24th November.

We want as many PCS members as possible in Leicester to attend a protest on 24th November at the Clock Tower 12:00 midday.'Flex-off' to participate. Students and union members united against the cuts. Ask you rep for details.

Leicestershire Against the Cuts

There is an Organising Meeting of the campaign this Saturday (13 November) at the Secular Hall in Humberstone Gate East, Leicester from 15:00 to 17:00. All branch members are welcome to attend to discuss the next steps.

Coverage of Leicester march and rally on October 30th.

There's some excellent coverage on our Facebook site 'Leicestershire Against the Cuts' of yesterday's march and rally in Leicester, which was sponsored by PCS, Unison, National Union of Teachers and the Leicester and District Trades Union Council. I know its been said many times before but Leicestershire Against the Cuts was the initiative of this branch, so you should all be very proud of how the local movement against the cuts is building.

Please do not try to access the Facebook site with DWP IT.

LATEST NEWS FROM OUR NEC ON THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE CUTS

At its special meeting on 26 October, the NEC agreed, given the speed with which the Government’s cuts will impact and the success of the 23 October marches and protests, that a national demonstration should be held this year in late November or early December, in addition to the demo next March. We will be discussing this with other unions and will propose at the TUC Public Sector Liaison Group meeting on 8 November that the TUC call such a demonstration.

Leicestershire Against the Cuts rally

This coming Saturday (October 30th) join the march and rally in Leicester against public sector cuts in jobs and services. Meet at Victoria Park from 11 am onwards for the march at 12 midday and the rally in the city centre around 1pm.

From today's Guardian. The article speaks for itself. We have the mother of all trade union fights now on our hands:

Spending review: civil service cuts worse than fearedMore redundancies expected after Osborne doubles Whitehall cost savings to £6bn

Polly Curtis, Whitehall correspondent guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 20 October 2010 21.13

Thousands more civil servants are to lose their jobs than expected after the chancellor today announced that he had doubled his target for cutting the cost of Whitehall from £3bn to £6bn. The Department for Work and Pensions told staff they would be making up to 15,000 job cuts and the HMRC said they would be losing 13,000 posts.

The worst fears of civil servants were exceeded when the plans to reduce administrative costs rose from 30% to an average of 34% across Whitehall departments. This puts ministers under pressure to clear out their departments as soon as possible to start making savings by the end of the spending review.

Generous civil service redundancy payouts mean it could be up to two years before any savings are made.

Whitehall sources claimed there was no "masterplan" about where to cut jobs, and that departments were being left to make the reductions themselves. But one union claimed to have seen documents calculating 80,000 job losses over the next two years. Many will come through "natural wastage" – people not being replaced when they leave – but more will face either compulsory or voluntary redundancies.

Tax collectors were today told that 13,000 of the 69,000 posts at Revenue and Customs will disappear by 2014-15, with further details expected next month about how they will be achieved, including through redundancy packages.

Lesley Strathie, the chief executive of HMRC who has been forced to defend the organisation in recent months after widespread mistakes in the PAYE system emerged, informed staff in a letter, seen by the Guardian. She said: "I know how tough this autumn has been for all of us; not least because of the enormous scrutiny we've been under recently in relation to PAYE. We now have a lot more clarity about what the future holds for us and I want to put on record how much I, and all my ExCom colleagues, appreciate your dedication and hard work."

Cabinet Office sources insisted that much of the extra savings would come from other efficiencies. A freeze in spending on consultancy, advertising and marketing and a moratorium on big new IT contracts is in place until further notice.

Resources will be pooled across Whitehall, with centralised marketing, finance and property management pooled between departments and their quangos. Francis Maude, the cabinet office minister, has said there will be a centralisation of procurement processes.

But further job losses are expected to make up the bulk of the savings. The Commons will also cut its budget by 17% and MPs were told by George Osborne that they would lose their generous final-salary pensions.

Further details began to emerge of where the axe would fall across Whitehall, though many of the 500,000 civil servants will have to wait months to find out if their job is in the firing line. Leigh Lewis, the permanent secretary of the DWP, wrote to all staff members following the chancellor's announcement, informing them that up to 15,000 redundancies will be sought over the next two years. This is 15% of the 100,000 workforce at a time when the welfare system faces profound reforms.

The Ministry of Defence announced 42,000 civilian job cuts this week and there were reports of 15,000 more cuts at the Ministry of Justice.

The Foreign Office unexpectedly suffered one of the biggest immediate cuts and will have to save 20% this year, giving them few options other than to lay off staff. Sources in the department said they could be looking at as many as 25% job cuts. The chancellor said reductions in staffing would include London-based diplomats.

The union Prospect claimed to have seen government evidence that 40,000 civil service jobs a year would be lost for the next two financial years, 2011-12 and 2012-13. Dai Hudd, Prospect deputy general secretary, said: "The financial cost of redundancies on this scale is shocking, but the human cost will be terrible.

"Scapegoating public servants who have done nothing to bring about the financial deficit shows that the government is tackling the symptoms of the deficit but not its cause."

Today, the former minister and head of the Institute for Government Lord Adonis said cutting Whitehall at the same time as making significant reforms risked "plummeting morale" and a "slash and burn" approach to government. He cited the case of Sweden, which has been held up by members of the coalition as a model for cuts, where they protected civil servants in order to properly manage the reforms of wider spending reductions. "The downsizing unveiled this week represents one of the biggest challenges faced by British government since the second world war. Without fundamental changes on these lines, it will simply be about cuts not improvement," he wrote in the FT.



Jonathan Baume, general secretary of the FDA, which represents senior civil servants, said: "The government has announced potentially significant reductions in the number of civil servants employed across all government departments.

"However, it will not be clear how many jobs will go, or at what levels the cuts will bite – nor the potential for compulsory redundancies – until the departmental business plans are published over the next month."

"Morale will suffer at all levels of the civil service whilst individuals wait to learn about the impact on their future employment and the services they provide. Senior managers have a particularly difficult task in seeking to maintain the morale and motivation of the teams they manage, and in ensuring that services continue to be delivered to support ministers and the wider public, at a time when their own posts are also under threat."

Brendan Barber, the general secretary of the TUC, said: "Public servants did nothing to cause the recession, but will pay a heavy price today. Their pay has already been frozen, now they face half a million job losses and increased pension contributions that will add up to a reduction in take home pay. It is fantasy to say that these are 'backroom' job cuts that will not affect service delivery and quality."

CSR PROTEST 17:00 AT LEICESTER CLOCK TOWER

The chancellor has announced half a million public sector job cuts and swingeing cuts to benefits.

Join other public sector unions at the clock tower today to discuss the fight back.

It is nonsense to claim we are all in this together - the low paid public sector workers and benefit recipients will pay the highest price.

We cannot abandon our members or our customers.

Join the fight back.

PCS continues the fight to stop mass sackings through changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS)

The message below is taken from the PCS website. It is important and every member should read it.

I was always taught that unity is strength and what some other unions who represent a small proportion of civil servants have done in going behind the back of PCS is little more than treachery and betrayal; strong words but in my view completely justified in this instance. PCS is still calling for unity with these other unions, but I believe that this should be unity with their members to fight for jobs and services, rather than unity with their leaders who to be blunt are an utter disgrace.


Union opposes Government's divide and rule tactics

The national executive committee met on 7 October to consider an offer from the Cabinet Office on changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS).

The NEC decided that, in its present form, the offer does not protect the accrued rights of sufficient numbers of our members and is not acceptable. We have called on the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude MP, to enter into further talks in order to find an agreement with the Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU). We believe an agreement is possible.

Disgracefully, some other unions representing a minority of staff have collaborated with the Government in attempting to divide the CCSU at a time when we are faced with the prospect of massive job cuts. These unions have entered into a separate agreement with the Government, even whilst CCSU discussions were taking place. The government’s planned cuts make this a vital issue concerning members’ livelihoods, and the minority unions’ actions are a matter of the utmost seriousness. We have demanded that the Minister returns to talks to find an agreement with the CCSU.

The other unions have, very regrettably, lent the government a veneer of respectability in its attempts to make it easier and cheaper to sack tens of thousands of civil and public servants.

PCS will continue to carry out a parliamentary campaign to stop the Government’s legislation on the CSCS, and will take further legal action at the appropriate time.

Ballot

The NEC has agreed that, in the event that any further negotiations prove to be unsuccessful, or the Cabinet Office refuse further talks, a membership ballot will be conducted to seek members’ approval for rejection of the offer based on the union’s policy, the judicial review and the potential for further legal action.

The root cause of the problem is government’s determination to both save money by cutting accrued CSCS rights and move ahead with large scale redundancies within a tight cost framework imposed by the Treasury. The NEC decided that the policy ballot on the CSCS will also be an opportunity to seek members support for our national campaign to defend jobs, pensions, pay and public services.

Background: negotiations

Following the union’s legal victory in the High Court earlier this year, talks have been taking place between the Cabinet Office and the Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) to see if agreement could be reached on a new compensation scheme.

The PCS position has been clear: that we wish to negotiate to reach agreement, but any agreement should be fair to all parties, recognise the accrued rights held by many civil service staff and be fair to new entrants to the civil service.

However, whilst claiming they wanted to proceed by agreement with all unions, the government stated their clear view that the scheme quashed by the High Court was ‘over generous’ and that they intended to introduce a Bill into Parliament to cap CSCS payments.

This Bill would slash members’ existing entitlements and accrued rights. It would include capping all compulsory redundancies at a maximum of 12 months pay and limiting payments for voluntary exits to 15 months salary. In addition, they have said they would seek to make changes to the 1972 Superannuation Act to remove the basis on which we were able to win the judicial review on the compensation scheme.

The talks with the Cabinet Office have therefore been conducted under the threat of legislation: the government has attempted to use the Superannuation Bill as a blunt bargaining tool to influence the negotiating process.

The offer

The offer contains only marginal improvements on the proposed legislation and drastically cuts members’ existing entitlements. The cap on voluntary severance has been increased to 21 months, and the underpin for the lowest paid to 90% of average pay. There is no protection, transitional or otherwise for accrued rights. In addition, the proposal go beyond the Superannuation Bill or indeed the 1972 Act in proposing changes to notice periods, the Protocol and the scope for redeployment across departmental boundaries.

In considering the offer, the test PCS has used has been a practical one – how many of our members, particularly the lower-paid – are protected by the proposals. The last scheme, with an underpin of £60,000 and a cap of two years, was rejected as our estimate was that it only protected 50% of our members.

The new offer is worse. The absence of any form of underpin to allow people to earn more than 21 months, or transitional provisions or reserved rights to protect accrued rights, means that the proposals will be detrimental to the majority of our existing members earning more than £20,000 with accrued rights to 2 years or more service. This will particularly affect a large number of our E.O. or equivalent grades.

Moreover, the offer seeks to change the period of notice of those in a compulsory redundancy situation from six months to three, and to reduce the timescales for efforts at avoiding redundancy set out in the agreed Protocols.

The new offer does incorporate a different way of protecting the lowest paid by providing for a notional salary for those below 90% of the median (as defined) or £23,000 – whichever is the greater. This is an improvement for many of the lowest paid. PCS has welcomed this as part of the package – whilst arguing for a higher median figure.

The areas of concern lie particularly in relation to the cap and the protection of accrued rights. The absence of an underpin at previously discussed levels, or any reserved rights or transitional protections, leaves many worse off than their accrued rights. This is significant not only because of the Judicial Review ruling but also in relation to any potential legal case. In reaching agreement we would forgo our right to take legal action.

The NEC decided that, in its present form, the offer does not protect the accrued rights of sufficient numbers of our members and is not acceptable, and to call on the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude MP, to enter into further talks in order to find an agreement.

Minority unions allow Tories to divide CCSU

On 24 September all the unions that make up the CCSU formally agreed that an offer made at that time by the government was not acceptable and informed the Minister of that position in a meeting on 28 September. However, it transpired that five other unions - Prospect, FDA, POA, Unite and GMB, representing a minority of civil servants - had already written to the Minister offering to come to an agreement on terms based on the Cabinet Office offer. PCS represents more than double the civil and public servants than the other five minority unions combined, and represents the people who would be affected by job cuts and redundancy. Nevertheless, at the meeting with the CCSU on 28 September, the Minister declared that he would seek an agreement with the five minority unions and break off talks with the CCSU.

A final offer was made on 5 October with a deadline of noon on 7 October for acceptance. PCS argued that the CCSU should respond and meet to discuss the offer. The Cabinet Office informed PCS that the five minority unions had already agreed the offer.

Earlier, the Treasury had intervened to impose a cost envelope – a total amount of money that would set the parameters of any agreement. The details have not been explained. We believe, however, that the costs have been calculated on the basis of the large numbers of jobs the government plans to cut.

Nevertheless, PCS was prepared to find an agreement and wrote to the Minister to inform him of this. However, a parallel process involving the five minority unions had clearly been taking place, including secret meetings with Cabinet Office officials. The Minister replied to PCS on 6 October to say that the government had concluded negotiations with the five unions.

The POA has now issued a statement denying that it has been party to any agreement. The Government has therefore misled staff and the unions in claiming such an agreement.

It is very regrettable that PCS finds it necessary to issue such a condemnation of other unions. But in order to build the unity we need to defend members from attacks, such as these cuts in redundancy pay, and the massive job cuts planned by the government, we must make clear to members and reps the way in which the minority unions have allowed the Tories to divide the CCSU and to readily agree a scheme which is only marginally different from the Government’s Bill yet gives up members’ rights.

Unity needed

The central element of our national campaign to defend jobs, pensions and public services is the building of unity with other unions, and community groups, across the public and private sectors. To date, PCS has played a leading role in bringing unions together to campaign against the Coalition’s cuts. We will continue to do so.


Mark Serwotka
General secretary

Treasury intervenes to scupper agreement on CSCS

The below has appeared today on the PCS website signed by Mark Serwotka, General Secretary, and Janice Godrich, President. It is important information that all members need to read.

Background

In May the union won a legal victory in the campaign to defend the CSCS. The High Court ruled that the previous government had acted unlawfully when it introduced, without PCS’s agreement, a new scheme which cut members’ accrued rights based in the 1972 Superannuation Act.

Following the High Court ruling we wrote to the Cabinet Office offering further negotiations to agree a fair and legal deal. Talks have been taking place between the Council of Civil Service Unions (CCSU) and the Cabinet Office to see if agreement could be reached on a new scheme.

However, Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude MP declared that the scheme quashed by the High Court was ‘over generous’. The government has introduced legislation in Parliament which would make far more draconian cuts to the CSCS than anything previously proposed. This Bill will include capping all compulsory redundancies at a maximum of 12 months pay and limiting payments for voluntary exits to 15 months salary. In addition, they have said they would seek to make changes to the 1972 Superannuation Act to remove the basis on which we were able to win the judicial review on the compensation scheme.

In effect, simply because it failed to get its way, the government appears to be prepared to change the law to make it easier and cheaper to sack tens of thousands of civil and public servants.

The talks with the Cabinet Office have therefore been conducted under the threat of legislation: the government has attempted to use the Superannuation Bill as a blunt bargaining tool to influence the negotiating process.

The PCS position is very clear: that we are always prepared to negotiate to reach agreement, but any agreement should be fair to all parties, recognise the accrued rights held by many civil service staff and be fair to new entrants to the civil service.

Treasury scuppers talks

On 24 September the Cabinet Office issued a letter to the CCSU containing what it called a final offer with marginal improvements on the proposed legislation.

All the unions that make up the CCSU formally agreed that the offer was not acceptable and informed the Minister of that position in a meeting on 28 September.

In the event, it transpired that five other unions - Prospect, FDA, POA, Unite and GMB, representing a minority of civil servants - had written to the Minister offering to come to an agreement on terms based on the Cabinet Office letter.

At the meeting with the CCSU on 28 September, the Minister declared that he would seek an agreement with those five unions and break off talks with the CCSU.

He also stated that the Treasury had intervened to impose a cost envelope – a total amount of money that would set the parameters of any agreement. The details have not been explained. We believe, however, that the costs have been calculated on the basis of the large numbers of jobs the government plans to cut.

There would be no plan to save money on redundancy pay without a plan - the detail of which has not been revealed to the public or the unions - to make job cuts on an unprecedented scale.

In the process, the government hopes to scapegoat PCS as refusing to come to an agreement. Our clear position is that we remain committed to finding a fair agreement. But the terms on offer are so significantly detrimental to members, both new and longstanding, at a time of imminent attacks on our jobs, that the union could not agree to the government’s proposals.

By trying to scapegoat one union the government is clearly attempting undermine the unity we will need to defend our jobs, pensions and public services.

Very regrettably, five other unions have failed to defend that unity once again and made it even more difficult to reach a fair agreement on the CSCS which protects members’ accrued rights and protects new members and the lowest paid. PCS represents more than double the civil and public servants covered by the CSCS than the other five unions combined. But no union’s members’ interests are served by breaking the unity of the CCSU and allowing the employer to force through a scheme that is so detrimental to civil and public servants. We have demanded that the Minister returns to talks to find an agreement with the CCSU.

These disgraceful actions will not prevent us from continuing to campaign hard to ensure that PCS members rights are protected. We urge all branches and members to maximise their efforts in support of this aim.

Way forward

The National Executive Committee will meet soon to review the situation. We are prepared to take further legal action. We will continue to seek support from opposition MPs and also Welsh Assembly Members and Scottish MSPs. We remain committed to talks on a fair compensation scheme.

A separate Branch Briefing urges branches to hold members meetings to discuss our National Campaign to defend jobs and public services. These meetings, and the organisation of a strong, determined campaign, are now more important than ever.

Leicestershire Against the Cuts meeting

An uplifting and well attended meeting was held yesterday at the Y theatre.

The turnout exceeded expectations so we ran out of chairs and quite a number had to stand.

There were speakers from Unison, NUT, a community based campaign and, of course, PCS.

The best speech of the night was by the PCS National President, Janice Godrich (pictured).

There were a number of compelling contributions from the floor rounded off by an impassioned rallying call from our own Tony Church.

We need to continue to build the campaign so we are ready when the really big cuts start to bite.

Together we can win.

A Fond Farewell

It has now been announced that Sir Gus O'Donnell (known as GOD) the Head of the Civil Service & Leigh Lewis, the Permanent Secretary of DWP, are both retiring.

Neither have been best friends to the unions but I wish them well.

I could be cynical & say that they are getting out now while the pension scheme still applies & because they know what is coming.

But I'm not that cynical.

Or am I?

Union Fightback

The TUC lobby was a good event and the TUC passed motions in support of co-ordinated action to oppose cuts.

The coverage in the media was good with Tony appearing on Radio Leicester a couple of times.

The cracks are starting to appear in the coalition at the Lib Dem conference. In spite of still being in the honeymoon period Lib Dem members have voted against Free Schools and are worried about the effect of cuts.

It is not time to worry about the cuts, it's time to organise the fightback.

Our branch was instrumental in setting up Leicestershire Against the Cuts to do just that.

Get all your friends, relations & neighbours to come along to our rally next Tuesday 28 September 2010 at the Y Theatre from 19:30.

There are national speakers including the PCS National President, Janice Godrich, but they also want to hear from you.

Let's send a message to the government that we won't accept attacks on the poorest & most vulnerable in society.

The fightback begins.

TUC - Get Off Your Knees

Yesterday around 500 activists demonstrated in Manchester, where the TUC conference is taking place this week.Tony Church and Noel Corry attended, so our branch was represented.The demonstration was called because although trade unions throughout Europe will be having demonstrations against public spending cuts on September 29th (many in fact will be staging one day general strikes), the TUC, who are supposed to be the leadership of the British trade unions, have so far failed to call any demonstration against the policies of our own Con-Dem government. We were in Manchester to put pressure on the TUC to effectively get up off its knees and name an early date for a national demonstration that all trade union members can attend to show the potential for defeating the cuts agenda.

The demonstration, which included both an outdoor and indoor rally as well as a march, was excellent. Speaker after speaker made the point that the policy of the TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, and those around him of trying to have a 'constructive dialogue' with Prime Minister Cameron and Chancellor Osbourne is ridiculous. The Tories (for it is now clear the Lib Dems have no real role except to make up the numbers) are waging a war against working people; they don't want to talk to us, they want to annihilate the services that those of us who do not have the privledges of the Eton and Oxbridge lifestyle depend on and the jobs that go with them. It is the most blatant example of class politics for decades.

The TUC have a choice to make this week and we hope that it is the correct one. If, however, the TUC General Council fail to grasp the nettle, there are thousands of actual and potential activists in Britain that will in the coming months push them aside to provide the leadership that members need and deserve. This war has to be won by us.

Votes on Superannuation Bill

Hansard records that Sir Peter Soulsby and Liz Kendall both voted not to give the Bill a Second Reading last night; the proposal was defeated. They also voted against the Bill, but as members now know the government won the day.

Keith Vaz did not appear to have voted in the debate and, whilst he supported the Early Day Motion against the government proposals, members who live in the Leicester East constituency may wish to enquire of their MP why he did not use his vote when it mattered.

We becoming easier to sack

Making it easier to sack us took a step closer last night when the House of Commons approved the Second Reading of the Superannuation Bill. The Bill caps payments at 12months pay in cases of compulsory redundancy and 15 months in cases of voluntary redundancy. The Bill now passes to discussion in committee before it returns to the Commons for its third and final reading. If the Speaker of the House accepts the proposal from the Con-Dems that the Bill should be treated as a Money Bill, it can become law without going for debate in the House of Lords.

If you thought that redundancy could never happen to you, it is time to think again. We are all at risk, regardless of the years we have been in the civil service. The con-dems intend to cut thousands of civil service jobs and this Bill gives them the instrument to do it.

We are beginning the fight of our lives to protect jobs and services. We and other public sector workers didn't create the financial crisis, the banks did and they are being shielded by their friends in the con-dems whilst we pay for their follies; follies they are still getting paid massive bonuses for. There is an alternative to public sector cuts as detailed on the PCS website at the link below

http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/campaigns/index.cfm

The Tories are using the state of the countries finances as an excuse for seemingly making their traditional ideology of everything public is bad and everything private is good more palatable; they are still under the influence of Margaret Thatcher whose policies during the 1980's were disastrous. The Lib-Dems hungry for some power have unfortunately become little more than their poodles.

Now is the time to get active and stand up to this government, who have no real mandate and who are weak not strong. You can begin to do this by attending the Leicestershire Against the Cuts rally on Tuesday 28 September at the Y, East Street, Leicester from 19:30 to 21:30. We were instrumental in creating Leicestershire Against the Cuts and it is growing fast. Our National President, Janice Godrich, will be the keynote speaker and the platform will include national figures from other unions.

We hope to see you there to make a successful show of defiance to what the con-dems propose.

Important debate in Parliament on CSCS

The second reading of the bill to amend the CSCS takes place in the Commons tomorrow. A number of MP's have signed a motion opposing the bill. In Leicster, that includes only Keith Vaz. Constituents of Sir Peter Soulsby (now a member of the PCS Parliamentary Group) and Liz Kendall should be rightly disappointed after what they said at our hustings before the election; Ms Kendall hasn't even had the courtesy to reply to my three e-mails on the matter. Watch this space for developments.

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=41235&SESSION=905

Leicestershire Against the Cuts rally

Leicestershire Against the Cuts has called a rally in Leicester on Tuesday, 28 September. The rally will take place in the Dance Studio at the 'Y', East Street, from 1930 to 2130. The speakers who are confirmed are Janice Godrich, PCS National President, Nina Franklin, National Union of Teachers Vice-President and Jean Thorpe, Unison NEC, who is currently heavily involved in fighting cuts at Nottinghamshire County Council.

As our National President is the keynote speaker, we hope as many branch members as possible will attend.

Leicestershire Against the Cuts

Latest news from the campaign:

1. The Leicester rally was confirmed for 28/09/10. Speakers from PCS (Janice Godrich), Unison, NUT and local campaigns.

2. Lobby of TUC on 12/09/10. Transport being arranged.

3. Lobby of Tory Party Conference on 03/10/10. Again transport being arranged.

4. Street activity in Leicester on 21/08/10. More details will follow.

This is our campaign. Be a part of it

TUC refuse to call national demonstration, so we'll do it for them!

Janice Godrich, National President of PCS, called at a meeting of the TUC General Council for a national demonstration against the cuts and although this was supported by the National Union of Teachers and the Communications Workers Union, it was opposed by Unison and Unite and the proposal was defeated. This is a setback, but plans are now being made for a demonstration outside the September TUC conference. Details will be published when available and we will encourage members to attend, in the company of many others. The TUC, the so-called leadership of the British trade unions, need to understand that we are not going to stand by and watch this 'broken-back' coalition Government destroy jobs and services.

Update on Leicestershire Against the Cuts

It was a really good meeting of Leicestershire Against the Cuts on 19 July; very positive with a keen desire to fight the cuts. We extended the Steering Committee which next meets on 11 August) and elected a Chair, Bernard Harper - President of Leicester and District Trades Union Council, a Convenor, myself, and a Treasurer, Alan Stanley, also a Trades Union Council officer. We also agreed a strategy, key to which is that we will moblise to defend any public service threatened by the cuts, from ward closures to community centres from schools to old folks homes etc. We want to link the trade unions with the communities and build strong local based unity. The cuts affect us all and we all have a part to play. Everyone can help by getting the word out that we exist and getting their friends and family to join us as part of our campaigns and activities.The campaign strategy also includes:
*A national demonstration against the cuts called by the British TUC - we will lobby the TUC conference with thousands of others if they fail to do this.
*Support for all actions by unions and anti-cuts campaigns in defence of public services, including individual strikes at local or national level.
*Campaign activity through the wider movement and local communities
*Meetings and activities through trades councils and local trade union branches with anti-cuts campaigns to explain and build support for action
*Lobbies of councils, health boards and other employer organisations responsible for carrying through Government cuts.
PS - we also changed the group's name to reflect that it is county wide.

Leicester Against the Cuts

A reminder that the meeting of Leicester Against the Cuts takes place tonight (19 July) in the Independent Arts Centre, Humberstone Gate, Leicester at 7.30pm. You are most welcome to attend.

Leicester and District Trades Union Council resolution

The Leicester and District Trades Union Council carried our resolution last night. This was contained in an earlier post, but is provided again below. The Trades Union Council brings together branches of many unions locally and, therefore, carrying this resolution is an important step forward in our campaign:

This meeting notes that workers in a number of countries will be involved in general strikes on Wednesday 29 September, European Day of Action.

We agree that the British TUC should now name a day for a national demonstration against the cuts and that, if it properly built for, it is possible that 29 September could become a general strike in the UK too.

With this in mind, we recognise that there is a need for urgent campaigning and preparatory work throughout the movement; including
• supporting regional demonstrations, such as the one that has been proposed to take place in Nottingham on 4 September, and
• endorsing the call by the National Shop Stewards Network (which is supported by PCS and a number of other unions) for a lobby of the TUC conference, if the TUC fail to call for action.

We call upon all trade union organisations and anti-cuts campaigns to ensure the largest turnout possible for events by sponsoring transport for those who wish to attend

We further recognise that these campaigning activities should be underpinned by:
• support for all actions by unions and anti-cuts campaigns in defence of public services, including individual strikes at local or national level,
• campaign activity through the wider movement and local communities,
• meetings and activities through trades councils and local trade union branches with anti-cuts campaigns to explain and build support for action,
• lobbies of councils, health boards and other employer organisations responsible for carrying through Government cuts.

Good local radio coverage

Daphne Mitchell, Branch Organiser, has just appeared on BBC Radio Leicester explaining what the situation is like for members working in local Jobcentres. Excellent contribution on behalf of PCS explaining all the current pressure and stresses. Thanks to Andrew Lloyd, our PCS Midlands full-time officer for setting this up.

Misinformation to create division

The con-dems and their paid media have started the campaign to create division in PCS. We should be proud; it's not a sign of our weakness but, on the contrary, it recognises our strength. They know that together, under our newly endorsed leadership, we can and we will defeat the attacks on our conditions, jobs and services. Some recent comment does, however, require answering:

PCS policy is that those who work for us, such as General Secretary Mark Serwotka, should receive pay that is more in line with the salaries of the members who the union represents. The union, however, that represents PCS staff (GMB) does not agree with this; they believe that their members should be paid 'the rate for the job.' PCS, as an employer, has not been able to reach agreement with GMB, so currently it is true that paid full time officials are generally receive more than many PCS members.

Mark, however, has committed to paying some of his salary back into campaigns and the movement in general. This is not an ideal situation, but it is frankly hypocritical that Mark's salary has been criticised by members of a Cabinet, 21 of whom are millionaires. I am happy to report that Mark is not a millionaire! I agree with PCS policy, but I was amused the other day when a member said to me that they'd rather pay Mark his current salary to continue protecting us as he has magnificently done since his election, rather than 'the tossers in this government or the bankers.' You will note that this was a direct quotation.

Today the Guardian has published an article from someone who is described as a 'writer and a barrister currently working in the Civil Service' calling upon Mark to resign because PCS took the last government to court over the compensation scheme and won!! The twisted argument of the article is that PCS should have accepted Labour's changes to the scheme (although a High Court judge found most of them illegal!!!), because what the con-dems are now proposing are far worse. The article made me very angry, but now I have had a chance to reflect it makes me proud to be a PCS member. Because what it tells me is that the other Civil Service union leaderships are cowardly and are prepared to sell out their members. Every decision on the campaign was endorsed by PCS members; members in other unions have never been fully consulted on the changes and that's why many left the union they were in to join PCS. Articles like this from someone who surely if he was any good at his legal profession would be making mega-bucks in the private sector receive the full support of Cameron, Clegg and other rich ministers, as well as the cabal of those other Civil Service union general secretaries with a wide yellow streak down their backs. By the way, these general secretaries receive large salaries too, but they are not in favour in reducing these at all and, as far as I know, they take everything that is going and pay nothing back into the movement to aid workers in disputes or other progressive movements. By ye friends, will thou be known!

Find out the Government are trying to change your conditions through the media

Absolutely outrageous that the Government tell us through the media that they intend to change our conditions. Having seen the previous Labour Government defeated in the courts over the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, the millionaires in the Con-Dem Government now intend not only to move the goalposts, but shift the whole playing field. The stinking rich Francis Maude tells us that this is the fault of PCS. I'm afraid I'm angry, so I can't resist saying what bloody cheek! He was a minister in Margaret Thatcher's government that decided to give us these conditions in the first place.

The Con-Dems tell us we are all in this together and after all Maude has taken a 5 per cent pay cut; not hard when your ministerial salary is your pocket money! A bit different to our members who dare to earn over £21,000 a year and have their pay frozen for two years. Now they're coming for our compensation scheme and next it will be our pensions.

There is an alternative to the cuts the Government want to make. This is not an exercise in simple accountancy, it is a series of deliberate decisions in political economics; a series of decisions that will see the rich consolidate their wealth at the expense of everyone else. If you want to solve our 'debt crisis' collect the £120bn owed in Income Tax and tax the banks that have 'stolen' our money.

Of course, the Con-Dems will not do this; they look after their friends and supporters.

We invite all members to attend the next meeting of Leicester Against the Cuts; an initiative we played the leading role in creating. This will be held on Monday 19 July at 7.30 pm in the Independent Arts Centre, Humberstone Gate, Leicester.

We can and we will defeat the attacks of this Government if we unite the trade union movement and all those fighting cuts in Britain and the rest of Europe. Come and play your part!

New assault on compensation scheme

The con-dems are trying to distance themselves from making 40% cuts, but late last night it was announced that the Government intend to press ahead with what they believe are legal reforms to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme. We knew it was coming, didn't we?

Members have a choice and it's the biggest choice you've ever had. We stand by and watch our jobs and the services we provide destroyed by a Government without a mandate to make such savage cuts or we get up off our knees and join with millions of others all over Europe to protect what our mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers and generations before them fought for.

We are not all in this together. The richest 30 people in Britain have done very well during the financial crisis and it's us who are paying for their wealth. This was a crisis not caused by ordinary people, but banks playing the financial casinos and then asking us to cover their debts. It must for be them to pay, not us.

Remember the tax gap in Britain is now estimated as £120bn. If we were all in it together, the Government would collect the 30 per cent of this that is available for collection (except New Labour have cut colleagues in HMRC) and chase the other 70 per cent that evade paying tax; people like Lord Ashcroft who lives abroad but bankrolls the Tories. The reason it doesn't is because it isn't a Government for all the people, but only for the stinking rich. The majority of the current Cabinet are millionaires many times over.

Our branch was behind the creation of Leicester Against the Cuts and we all need to now get behind this and our own National Executive Committee, linking up with the other trade unions across the continent. United we can win, united we will win!

Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Worse

I have just read on the BBC web site that Government Departments are now being asked to draw up plans for a 40% cut in their budgets.

A cut of a quarter is obviously not enough and the Con Dems want to nearly halve our service.

This is not just trimming the fat, this is cutting away the flesh and hacking away at the heart of the service that we deliver.

It is vital that we all actively campaign (see previous posts for details) before there is nothing left to campaign for!

The campaign against the cuts starts

The initial meeting of Leicester Against the Cuts took place on 29 June. It was well-attended, considering that it clashed with Spain against Portugal. The football rejecting individuals at the Independent Arts Centre numbered around 25 and the intiative we had started was endorsed by Andrew Lloyd, the full time official for PCS in the Midlands. This is good news because it gives us official support and hopefully some finance.

What was encouraging was that the meeting was attended by members of other unions and also members of the general public. It was agreed that to beat the cuts we needed to link unions with groups and individuals in the community fighting to defend services. The example of how the Poll Tax and Margaret Thatcher was defeated was very much in mind; a great lesson in working class history for those who are too young to remember the actual event.

A Steering Committee emerged from the meeting to take the campaign forward. Besides myself, this is Bernard Harper (President of Leicester and District Trades Union Council), Steve Score (Trade Unionist and Socialist candidate for Leicester West in the recent General Election), Mike Thompson (Unite) and Andrew Walton (Unison Leicestershire Health Branch).

The Steering Committe is discussing our next steps and an update will be posted soon.

The Fightback Begins Continued

The following motion will be discussed by the BEC.

This meeting agrees to submit the following motion to the Leicester and District Trades Union Council and the PCS NEC:

 

This meeting notes that workers in a number of countries will be involved in general strikes on Wednesday 29 September, European Day of Action.

We agree that the British TUC should now name a day for a national demonstration against the cuts and that, if it properly built for, it is possible that 29 September could become a general strike in the UK too.  

With this in mind, we recognise that there is a need for urgent campaigning and preparatory work throughout the movement; including

• supporting regional demonstrations, such as the one that has been proposed to take place in Nottingham on 4 September, and
• endorsing the call by the National Shop Stewards Network (which is supported by PCS  and a number of other unions) for a lobby of the TUC conference, if the TUC fail to call for action.
We call upon all trade union organisations and anti-cuts campaigns to ensure the largest turnout possible for events by sponsoring transport for those who wish to attend

We further recognise that these campaigning activities should be underpinned by:

• support for all actions by unions and anti-cuts campaigns in defence of public services, including individual strikes at local or national level,
• campaign activity through the wider movement and local communities,
• meetings and activities through trades councils and local trade union branches with anti-cuts campaigns to explain and build support for action,
• lobbies of councils, health boards and other employer organisations responsible for carrying through Government cuts,
 
Tell us what you think.

The Fight Back Begins

In my last post I discussed some of the problems facing PCS members and the phony war.

The good news is that PCS DWP Leicestershire General Branch is leading the fightback in Leicestershire.

We have taken the initiative in making common cause with other PCS branches, other public sector trade unions, community groups who will be affected but cuts and anyone else who wants to support our campaign.

We organised a stall at the clock tower in Leicester last Saturday. There was a petition and some street theatre. There was considerable support and interest from the public and coverage on Radio Leicester and the Leicester Mercury.

The next step is a meeting of activists on Tuesday 29 June 2010 in the Independant Arts Centre, Humberstone Gate from 19:30.

We are hoping to broaden our base to even more union branches and other groups but our branch will remain prominent.

We will be ready to fight back. It's time to join us.

The Phony War is Almost Over

The budget has taken place & the potential impact on PCS members will be huge.

The changes will hit the poorest hardest with cuts in benefits and inevitable cuts in services from government and local authorities.

For PCS members we face a pay freeze (even the protection for the lowest paid is a below inflation rise), attacks on our pensions and a 25% cut in departmental budgets will inevitably result in job cuts.

Locally the pause in the TPIP rollout is not necessarily a good thing. We could stay as we are, but on the other hand TPIP could still roll out or, even worse we could be left high and dry with nothing.

Big savings could be made by closing offices, especially with the governments keenness for privatisation to enable this, and no office is safe.

I also have no words of comfort for fraud or CMEC members.

I don't want to be a scare monger but until we know the detail of what we up against it is difficult not to speculate.

This period while we await these attacks on members I have taken to calling the phony war as the actual battles for services, jobs, pay and conditions are still to come.

We need to take this opportunity to prepare for what is to come.

Mike Burkitt

I am sad to report the death of Mike Burkitt on 24 May.

Mike was the Branch Secretary of DHSS Leicestershire SCPS (one of our forerunner unions) in the late 70s and early 80s so some of you with very long memories may have worked with him.

He retired in 2009 and was diagnosed with a brain tumour 6 months ago.

The family are asking for donations to Cancer Research UK or Brain Tumour UK.

BEC Report

Our Branch Executive Committee met yesterday.

We discussed a number of issues where we are in a period of phoney war (we are expecting attacks but we don't know exactly when or what the full extent will be).

These included TPIP, staffing and welfare cuts.

We are taking a lead to campaign and form an alliance of public sector unions to fight the cuts.

Check on this site for details of events, meetings, etc.

We were concerned about attendance management. Sickness absence is high so management are making efforts to reduce it. Our job is to make sure that staff are supported (not punished), that policies are followed correctly and that members are not forced back to work where they are too ill to do so.

We are also opposed to the letters given to staff who have nothad a day off sick in the past year. We feel that they are counterproductive, divisive, belittle the commitment of staff who have had time off and potentially are discriminatory under the Disability Discrimination Act.

Guillotine Section at last

I have had fish & chips at the seaside & am now travelling home so here's what went on in the guillotine section.

All the motions were carried.

Emergency motion A614 calls for support for reps sacked from CSA Hastings. There have been five branch officers a number of other reps in the last two and a half years. The current branch secretary is awaiting the outcome of his case but has been told off the record that he is also sacked. The management at the office, however, think that it is OK for a BNP council candidate to continue in employment.

Motion A78 is calling for an equality impact assessment on PCS subscriptions as there is an upper limit for better paid members. The NEC will report back next year.

Motion A68 refers to the writ to arrest Tzipi Livni, the former Israeli Foreign Minister, for war crimes. It calls for a campaign to prevent a change in the law.

Motion A46 calls for a campaign to get our young members to help progress the TUC's trade unionism into schools campaign.

Motion A96 calls for a PCS Employment Tribunal Unit to be set up to offer advice, support and representation to members.

Motion A137 calls for all telephone numbers for the services provided by our members to the public be changed to 0800.

That was all we had time for.

I'll be back at work on Monday. If you have any questions please get in touch.

Close of Conference

That's all except the vote of thanks.

It's a shame that I don't have time to give more of a flavour of conference, the banter, the comradeship, some passionate speeches, some dull but worthy speakers and some downright bonkers speakers.

I also didn't have time to cover the fringe meetings and the networking that went on.

Overall conference is a tiring but hugely inspiring experience and I would encourage members to come along.

Update on the guillotine section to follow.

Guillotine Section

I will bring you up to date on this later in the day.

Carers Allowance

Motion A127 calls for increases to Carers Allowance.

The motion was carried.

Taxation of Redundancy Pay

Motion A126 calls for an increase in the redundancy tax threshold from £30000.

This motion was carried.

Co-operatives

Motion A125 calls for a plan on workers democracy to be drawn up.

This motion was carried.

Pensions

Motion A124 calls for protection of pensions both state pension and occupational pensions.

This motion was carried.

Anti Trade Union Laws

Motion A144 calls for a campaign against anti trade union laws.

This motion was carried.

Tobin Tax

Motion A123 calls for the introduction of a Tobin tax, which is a very small percentage on all transactions by merchant banks.

This motion was carried.

Wealth Tax

Motion A122 calls for a 10% wealth tax on all millionaires and a proper progressive tax system.

The motion was carried.

Anti Fascist Campaign

Emergency motion A629 calls for support for anti fascist campaign groups and to campaign against the BNP and the English Defence League.

Motion A121 was heard as part of the same debate. It calls for a ban on BNP members as civil servants and for more information on anti fascist campaigning.

Both motions were carried.

Guest Speaker

Caroline Lucas, Britains first Green MP, and MP for Brighton Pavilion spoke.

Free Public Transport

Motion A120 calls for free public transport to get people out of cars.

This has happened in some places in the past.

This motion was carried.

Climate Change

Motion A117 calls for continued sustainability talks, support for the Climate Solidarity project and to work with Campaign Against Climate Change.

This motion was carried.

Vestas Dispute

Motion A116 called for continuing support for the Vestas dispute, the only British company making wind turbines.

This motion was carried.

Environmental Issues

Motion A115 calls for the NEC to campaign on environmental
issues and appoint more environmental reps in branches.

This motion was carried.

Working Hours

Motion A114 calls for a reduction of the working week to 35 hours with no loss of pay, as a step to moving to a 4 day week.

This would increase jobs and improve work life balance.

This motion was carried.

Annual Leave

Motion A111 calls for an increase in annual leave to 35 days per year irrespective of grade or length of service.

This motion was remitted as it will be a diversion from the pay campaign.

Motion A112 calls for 35 days after 25 years.

This was lost as it discriminates against younger members and is probably unlawful under age discrimination legislation.

Flexible Pay on Recruitment

Motion A110 calls for opposition to people being recruited at the top of the pay scale rather than the bottom.

I don't believe that this happens in DWP.

This motion was carried

National Pay

Motion A109 calls for a campaign to return to national pay. It also calls for co-ordinated action across groups and trying to co-ordinate action across the whole public sector.

This motion was carried.

End of Day 2

That's it for day 2 of National conference.

A mixed bag of some campaigning stuff and lots of internal union stuff.

I'll take it easy and be back tomorrow.

The stuff in the guillotine section is likely to be too quick for me to blog it as it goes but I will catch up as soon as I can.

Electronic Submission of Conference Details

Motion A94 calls for a review of the rules so that all conference details can be submitted electronically.

This was carried.

Nominating Branches on Election Addresses

Motion A93 calls for the names of nominating branches to not be included on election addresses.

The motion was lost.

Facilities for Lay Tutors

Motion A92 calls for Lay Tutors on PCS training courses to be Union Learning Reps which means that ULR time is available.

This motion was carried.

Facilities for Pay Negotiators

Motion A91 calls for an increase in facility time for branches which have to negotiate on pay.

The motion was remitted as a blanket increase of 10% may not be appropriate.

Transfer of Negotiating Rights

Motion A90 calls for negotiating rights to not be transferred to another union without consultation with the members.

This motion was carried.

Co-ordination of action

Motion A88 calls for the regional committee to co-ordinate action where multi occupied sites are threatened with closed.

This motion was carried.

Full Time Officer Pay

Motion A87 calls for PCS to start negotiations with GMB to ensure that PCS full time officers pay is much closer to that of the majority of the members.

This was lost as it was felt that PCS should not as an employer ask for pay cuts of its staff.

Reserved Seats

Motion A86 calls for an investigation into numbers of under represented groups and for the NEC to come up with proposals for conference next year.

This motion was carried.

Serial Leavers

Motion A85 calls for an investigation of a cooling off period during which access to the full range of support and services is not available to people who join and, when we have solved their problem, leave again.

This motion was remitted as the wording was confusing.

Hotel Bookings

Motion A77 calls for PCS to investigate using a hotel booking service so that low paid reps don't have to find money for hotels and then wait until expenses are paid when they have to stay away from home on PCS business.

This motion was carried.

Financial Report

The report was presented and is available on the PCS web site.

Venezuela Solidarity Campaign

Motion A71 calls for affiliation to the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign.

It was discussed with motion A72 which calls for disaffiliation with the Hands Off Venezuela campaign.

A71 was carried so A72 fell.

Right to Work Campaign

Motion A70 calls for PCS to actually affiliate to the Right to Work Campaign.

This motion was carried.

Afghanistan

Motion A67 calls for the NEC to campaign for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

The motion was carried.

Greek Workers

Emergency motion A622 calls for full support for Greek Trade Unions in their struggle against pay reductions and job cuts.

I can't see any more obvious parallel to our situation when the proposed £6bn cuts start to bite.

The motion was carried.

Workplace Temperature

Motion A65 calls for us to monitor high temperatures to use in campaigning.

The motion was remitted as it would be very expensive and time consuming to collect data when we just need to campaign.

BA Dispute

It has just been anounced to a huge cheer that Unite won their appeal against the ruling that their strike vote was illegal.

Managing Stress

Motion A64 calls on the NEC to lobby for Health & Safety legislation on stress.

The motion was carried.

Crown Immunity

Motion A63 calls for the removal of Crown Immunity which mean that civil service employers can be exempt from certain laws.

The motion was carried.

Distinguished Life Membership

DLMs were presented to those agreed last year.

Speeding Up Debate

Motion A60 calls for there to be no debate if there is no opposition.

The motion was lost as it is sometimes is useful to bring personal experience and let branches who are involved in the issue give a local flavour.

Election of Member Trustees

Motion A58 calls for the election of member trustees.

The motion was carried.

Tidying Up the Rule Book

Motion A57 tidies up some obsolete voting rules

The motion was carried.

Subscriptions

Motion A56 calls for the cap on subscriptions for higher paid members to be removed by having a common subscription rate of 0.6% for everyone.

The motion was lost as it did not specify a reduction in subs for lower paid members.

Our delegation voted in favour.

Card Vote

Motion A40 was carried so the consultation on standing PCS candidates will go ahead.

Victimisation of PCS Reps

Motion A44 brings attention to the victimisation of a Land Registration rep, Jane Brooke.

It calls for reinstatement.

This motion was carried.

Selection of Candidates

Motion A43 suggests a method of selecting candidates if PCS chooses to.

The mandating meeting instructed us to vote against as it is too restrictive and could result in very few members having a vote.

The motion was remitted as if the previous motion was carried this issue should be part of the review and if not it is a complete waste of time.

Standing PCS Candidates in Elections

Motions A40 were all discussed together.

This motion enables firm proposals for standing candidates at elections.

The view of the mandating meeting was that they saw no scenario where candidates would stand and it could be very expensive for PCS.

The issue is contentious so a card vote was called.

A card vote is where each branch has a card with the number of members in that branch. These numbers are then added together to give the result of the vote.

We have now voted. The result will come later when the maths has been done.

End of Business

That's it for the day.

We seem to have covered a lot.

The highlight for me was John McDonnell.

Time for some rest & recuperation for me.

I'll be back tomorrow.

Apprentices

Emergency motion A585 calls for opposition to apprentiships as they are used for work on the cheap.

This motion was carried.

National Carers' Strategy

Motion A33 called for a carers strategy to be negotiated with the employer.

This motion was carried.

National Carer

Fast Stream Process

Motion A32 calls for the scrapping of the fast stream policy that gets people to top of the civil service quickly. This is because it favours white middle class males.

This motion was carried.

Sickness Dismissal

Motion A320 calls for opposition to sackings for people who are sick.

The motion was carried.

Medical Retirement

Motion A31 calls for a shorter and fairer process for getting medical retirement.

This motion was carried.

Confidentiality on Redundancy Details

Some private sector employers make redundancy details confidential so they can't discuss this.

Motion A30 calls on negotiators to reject this so it can be discussed with the members.

The motion was remitted as the motions asks us to not respond to employers who made details confidential. This could result in no negotiations with management.

Outsourcing

Motion A29 calls on outsourcing companies to adhere to terms and conditions and the minimum wage where they move work abroad.

The motion was remitted as it confuses outsourcing and off shoring.

Balfour Beattie Workplace

Motion A28 instructs the NEC to negotiate a proper pay structure for BBW staff (formerly Haden, formerly DWP staff).

This motion was carried.

Off Shoring

Motion A27 opposes off shoring (moving jobs abroad at low wages).

The motion was carried.

Tier 2 Visas

Motion A26 opposes inshoring, which is where a company claims there is no one who can do the job and so can bring someone in on a Tier 2 visa and undercut pay of existing employees.

This motion was carried.

Organising Facilities Management Staff

Motion A25 calls for PCS to organise FM staff such as cleaners, security guards, catering staff, etc.

This motion was carried.

Annual Report on Inequalities

Motion A19 calls on the NEC to produce an annual report which pulls together data about promotion rates, etc. and use this for campaigning and negotiations.

This motion was carried.

Equality and Performance Related Pay

Motion A18 says that PRP is discriminatory and calls on the NEC to pursue legal and political challenges including lodging complaints to the Equality & Human Rights Commission.

This motion was carried.

TUC Pensioners Committee

Motion A17 calls on the TUC to ensure that it's pensioners committee meets regularly.

The motion was remitted as the pensioners committee had met and was not the leading body of the TUC which takes forward the pensions campaign.

Access to Work

Motion A277 calls for a return to using Access to Work staff for reasonable adjustments.

The motion was carried.

Censure Motion

Motion A15 is a censure motion. This is a slap on the wrist for the NEC.

The censure was because the movers felt that a campaign had not happened as a result of a motion on equality carried last year.

Conference did not not agree and the motion was lost.

Inequality

Motion A14 calls for the NEC to raise awareness of the study by Wilkinson & Pickett on inequality.

The motion was carried.

Equality Proofing PCS Services

Motion A13 calls for equality proofing of the services we provide as a union.

This motion was carried.

Equality Networks

Motion A12 calls for management and PCS to ensure that paid time off is available for members to attend equality network meetings.

The motion was carried.

Guest Speaker

The guest speaker was John McDonnell, the chair of the PCS parliamentary group and potential left wing candidate for Labour Party leader.

It was inspiring stuff.

It was filmed for TV so clips may be on the news tonight.

Compensation Payments for Disabled Staff

Motion A9 calls for equal payments under CSCS to disabled staff partly employed by a charity.

This reduces their compensation considerably.

This motion was carried.

Compensation for loss of earnings when striking

Emergency motion A660 calls for pay to be reinstated to members who came out on strike in the CSCS dispute.

It is unlikely to succeed (to say the least) but it makes a point.

The motion was carried.

Civil Service Pensions

Motion A8 calls for opposition to any attacks on our pensions.

We won on pensions before, and there are no current specific proposals from the government, but it would not surprise anyone if this would happen.

We need to be ready.

The motion was carried.

Civil Sevice Compensation Scheme

A presentation was made on the judgement.

There is now hard work to do on negotiating.

Emergency motion A647 sets out the terms of those negotiations.

This motion was carried.

Protecting Public Services-the rest of the motions

There is a bit of a go slow on my phone so here are the rest of the motions in the section.

Motion A4 calls for opposition to ID cards

Motion A5 calls for increased job security where staff are transferred to the private sector.

Motion A6 calls for an end to contracts such as that for booking travel which only end up costing more than if people booked for themselves.

All three motions were carried.

Protecting Public Services 4

Motion A3 mirrors the new DWP policies of opposition to office closures, job cuts and the move to contact centres.

This motion was carried.

Protecting Public Services 3

Emergency motion A611 condemns the move to a new organisation for learning across the civil service with no PCS involvement.

This motion was carried.

Protecting Public Services 2

Emergency motion A609 calls for concerns to be raised about already privatised work in HMRC being offshored (done abroad).

The motion only calls for scrutiny of the pilot but I would prefer outright opposition.

The motion was carried.

Protecting Public Services

Motion A1 launches a campaign against cuts & ensures that we organise & campaign effectively. It also calls for a campaign with the TUC & other public sector trade unions.

This appears to be very close to the policy we agreed at our mandating meeting.

Emergency motion A642 was also discussed in this section. It gives more detail on how to build a public sector alliance.

Both motions were carried.

Motion A2 is therefore not heard. This called for PCS to suggest areas for management to cut. This madness is like turkeys voting for Christmas.

National Conference Starts

Conference starts with welcomes & moving the annual report.

We have voted for the Left Unity candidates as instructed by the mandating meeting.

Now for the motions (I believe that you can read the full text of the motions on the PCS web site)

Fraud Vacancies

You may have seen the vacancies on fraud for various locations around the region.

If successful, FTA staff would be made permanent.

PCS welcomed this.

It has now come to my attention that national management have withdrawn the vacancies just days before the closing date.

My feelings on this are perhaps best not published on the blog.

End of DWP Group Conference

It has taken me until Wednesday morning to complete my update but I have done it now.

The DWP conference is now over and we move on to the national agenda.

Given the new government everyone is predicting a hard fight but, if we stand firm, we can win.

Guillotine Section

This part of the agenda is to hear motions that there was not enough time to hear earlier in the conference.

The motions are heard very quickly so I am doing this after conference has finished.

All motions were carried except two which were remitted. This means that the GEC will take on the spirit of the motion but there is a problem with the wording or a clause in the motion that would mean that if it were put to a vote it would be lost.

Motion A151 calls for the special leave guidance to include witnesses and plaintiffs required to attend court

Motion A153 calls for casual staff to be made permanent. This was remitted as PCS should only argue this if they were recruited in a fair and open exercise.

Motion A154 calls for better awareness of reasonable adjustments and for better policies about the new fit notes.

Motion A157 calls for paid time off for Right Core Care appointments during normal working hours.

Motion A159 calls for an end to revised service hours where that causes divisions in the workforce.

Motion A60 calls for facility time for Branch Equality Officers.

Motion A232 calls for a review of the way overpayments of salary are recovered from RM. This motion was remitted as it calls for arrangements to be made through the line manager which could be worse for some members than the current system.

Motion A240 calls for an independant audit of Lean in PDCS as we don't believe it delivers savings.

Motion A242 calls for all calls from the public to be made free of charge.

Motion A22 calls for job design and working coditions to be improved in Contact Centres as these cause high levels of sick absence and turnover.

Motion A61 calls for the GEC to scrap the agreement to record facility time on RM and come up with a better system.

DWP Union Learning Agreement

Emergency Motion 10 endorses the decision to accept the new agreement.

Although probably not as good as the old one, having no agreement and with a new government coming in who have a stated aim of abolishing ULRs, this was the better option.

This motion was carried.

CMEC Organisation

Motion A290 calls for the facilities given to PCS reps in CMEC to be protected and for CMEC members to remain part of DWP group.

This motion was carried.

Young Members

Motion A287 calls for a young members training event to become an annual event.

This motion was carried.

Recruitment

Motion A285 calls for a continued recruitment campaign.

As a minimum we should ask non-members to join.

This motion was carried.

Public Sector Spending Cuts

Emergency Motion 13 instructs the GEC to use all means possible to resist adverse effects of job cuts, office closures, etc.

This motion was carried.

Staff Safety in Outreach Sites

Motion A207 calls for Health & Safety to be at least as good in outreach sites as in Jobcentres.

This motion was carried.

Staff Safety

Motion A206 calls for a campaign to remind staff of the UCB policy and the need to report all incidents.

This motion was carried.

Contact Centre Reasonable Adjustments

Motion A205a calls for the GEC to review reasonable adjustments so local reps know what options are available.

This motion was carried.

Contact Centre Health & Safety

Motion A199 calls for the restoration of baseline and regular hearing tests and carry out proper risk assessments to reduce the incidence of acoustic shocks.

This motion was carried.

PDCS Grading

Motion A143 calls on the GEC to campaign on the grading of decision making which should be Returned to the EO grade.

This motion was carried.

Telephony

Motion A134 opposes the Genesis workforce planning tool (& similar tools) which can cause staff to lose breaks.

This motion was carried.

Statutory Annual Leave

Motion A133 calls on the European Court of Justice decision on carry over of annual leave to be implemented.

The ruling was that a carry over of 20 days should apply where a person has been off work on sick leave.

This motion was carried.

Disciplinary Procedures & the ACAS Code of Practice

Motion A130 calls for the disciplinary procedures to fall into line with the ACAS code of practice.

This motion was carried.

Disciplinary Policies

Motion A128 calls for improvements to the policy which is not consistant and too often overly harsh.

This motion was carried.

Discipline and Security

Motion A120 seeks to amend the disciplinary procedures on breaches of information security so that staff are not punished for simple human error.

This motion is from our sister branch in PDCS and was heard at our AGM.

This motion was carried.

Flexible Working Hours in CMEC

Emergency Motion 9 calls for management to implement the agreement on FWH reached with CMEC management. It appears that in some locations management have refused to do this.

This motion was carried.

CMEC Terms and Conditions

Motion A114 calls for management to improve terms and conditions including full access to flexi time, getting rid of PDS appraisal system, etc.

This motion was carried.

Call Centres in DWP and CMEC

Motion A102 calls for an end to the extension of a telephony model of service, an end to a two tier workforce and the retension of a mixture of telephony and other work.

This motion was carried.

Flexi Time in PDCS

Motion A101 calls for the alignment of conditions following the merger of The Pensions Service and The Disability and Carers Service.

This motion was carried.

Christmas Credit

Motion A97 calls for the award of a half day credit at the beginning of December as it had been for quite a number of years.

This motion was carried.

Flexible Working

Motion A87 calls for an end to the erosion of flexible working due to various planning tools in contact centres.

This will be more of a problem as TPIP is implemented.

This motion was carried.

Holiday Playschemes

Motion A86 calls for a continued commitment to subsidised playscemes.

We are committed to our local playscheme in Leicester and so supported the motion.

The motion was carried.

Family Friendly Policies

Motion A82 asks for accomodating part time working patterns. Where refused the full reasons should be given rather than just the phrase business reasons.

This motion was carried.

AAs

Motion A195a calls for a campaign to retain the AA grade and find meaningful work such as scanning of documents.

This motion was carried.

Fixed Term Appointments

Emergency Motion 8 calls on a high profile campaign to make FTAs permanent, for all staff to be recruited through fair & open competition & for proper staffing levels to deliver our business.

This is in line with our mandate so our delegation voted in favour.

The motion was carried.

Welcome to Day 2

The delegation are up bright & early & keen to go.

Conference will start any minute.

Updates on the motions will follow shortly.

Close of Conference

That's it for today. A very full & tiring but productive day.

Please feel free to post questions or comments on the blog or Facebook. I will check both.

I'll be back tomorrow.

Distinguished Life Membership

It was agreed to award DLM to a number of members.

Presentations were then made to people who had been nominated last year.

Employee Relations in CMEC

Motion A59 calls for the adverse changes to the ER framework in CMEC.

This motion was carried.

Victimisation

Motion A54 calls on the GEC to continue to fully support victimised TU reps and to put in safeguards in the new ER framework.

This motion was carried.

KMIs

Motion A231 calls on the GEC to review all KMIs to make them relevant and achievable and for guidance to be issued saying that they are only indicators.

This motion was carried.

AAT/KMI

Motion A230 instructs the GEC to amend AAT to record the exact time spent with a customer if that is more or less than the allotted time.

This would show how much time we really take doing interviews.

This motion was carried after much opposition on the basis that we need to abolish it altogether.

Reassurances were strongly given that abolition was still our policy but this could provide useful information for the GEC.

Walsall Pension Centre

Motion A229 instructs the GEC to provide support for the campaign to keep the centre open.

This motion was carried.

CMEC

Motion A227 calls for CMEC to be reintegrated in to DWP with full civil service pay & conditions.

This motion was carried.

Emergency Motion EM6 calls for opposition to downgrading under the Fit for the Future programme.

This motion was carried.

Pension Service Local Service

Emergency Motion 4 campaigns against job cuts to the local service.

This motion was carried.

BNP in DWP/CMEC

Motion A67 instructs the GEC to press management to ban BNP members from employment in DWP as their views are not comparable with delivering services to the public in an impartial manner.

It also calls on PCS to defend reps from disciplinary action for issuing anti BNP literature.

This motion was carried.

Must Give a Warning Policy

Motion A270 calls for extended trigger points to be reconsidered only after seeking medical advice and no automatic review of trigger points in all cases.

This motion was carried.

Attendance Management

Emergency Motion EM3 calls for abolition of consideration points as the sole reason for giving a warning, exclusion of DDA health conditions from the process & abolition of the backsliding period.

This motion was carried.

Attendance Management

Motion A245 calls on safeguards and rights to be put in place to protect members from harsh attendance management policies.

This motion was carried.

Equality Monitoring

Motion A222 calls on management to properly monitor all HR policies such as promotion, discipline, etc. so we can identify discrimination.

The previous motion was about gathering the ethnicity, gender, etc. This motion is about using that data to check that there is no discrimination.

This motion was carried.

Equality Data

Motion A216 calls on management to improve the rates of collection data.

This means that we can identify discrimination where it occurs.

This motion was carried.

Working Patterns

Motion A215 calls for a review to make it easier for staff to move to part time and part year working.

This was carried.

Mental Health

Motion A213 calls for improved help to staff with mental health problems and information to reps who are dealing with personal cases.

This motion was carried.

London Pay

Motion A51 calls for the anomoly where different rates of pay are paid in one district. Even on occasion sometimes some staff who could be working next to each other.

This motion was carried.

DWP Pay Claim 2010

Motion A26 calls for early pay talks, and to campaign for a consultation with branches about campaigning and possible industrial action if neccessary to support our claim.

This was carried.

Mark Serwotka

The General Secretary is ill with a heart complaint and will not be able to attend conference.

We all wish him a speedy recovery.

PDCS

Motion A12 on Pensions Disability & Carers Service.

The motion opposes lean & other means to cut jobs & the service delivered.

This was carried.

Contact Centre Campaign

After the usual introduction stuff we got down to the first big debate.

As predicted there were emergency motions about the campaign.

The first motion was similar to A1.

The point at issue was should we continue talks & then build for action if we need to, or should we ballot individual transformation sites and bring them out on their own when and if they vote for action.

The former position won the day so a united campaign among all staff, current CCD as well as transformation staff will continue.

Good Morning

Due to engineering works it took two train journeys, two bus journeys & a taxi ride to get here.

The delegation arrived weary but safe & sound.

After some refreshment we have slept soundly and are now preparing for conference.

You'll hear from me when I get to the hall.

Mandating Meeting

I attended the branch mandating meeting yesterday.

I was surprised by the turnout - it was standing room only. We will have to book a larger room next year.

The meeting gave a very clear direction to the delegates to support motions to fight cuts in jobs and services.

The meeting felt that PCS should take a lead in fighting for a united campaign across all public sector unions but if we have to go it alone in taking industrial action, we should not wait for the other unions to come on board.

The meeting strongly felt that we should step up our efforts to make the FTAs permanent.

The meeting agreed that, in order to argue the case for a united public sector campaign at the TUC we should support the Left Unity candidates at the elections held at conference.

The delegates were encouraged to support motions to support the TPIP campaign.

The meeting then discussed the proposal to stand PCS candidates in parliamentary elections.

The debate was lively, well considered & intelligent.

The meeting decided to instruct the branch delegates to vote against but there were a significant minority in favour.

To find out what happens at conference keep checking on this blog next week as I will update live from the conference floor.

Waiting Over

I have been waiting with keen interest for two things.

Firstly, I have been waiting for the result of the judicial review into the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

The result came out yesterday with the result that the changes imposed by the old government were illegal and were therefore set aside. The new government will therefore need to seek agreement with PCS before it can be changed.

As it will be more expensive to make civil servants redundant, our jobs have become just a little more secure.

The other big thing I have been waiting for is the result of the negotiations on forming the next government.

As you will know by now the Tories and the Lib Dems will form a full coalition.

What remains to be seen is if this will result in the best of both parties, the worst or something in between.

My guess is that we will need to hold on to our hats as it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Full Report of Leicester South Question Time

Sir Peter Soulsby (Labour) was the only candidate in attendance. Ross Grant (Conservative) informed us the morning of the meeting that he had to attend an ante-natal class instead. Parmjit Gill (Liberal Democrat) and Dave Dixey (Green) had indicated they were going to attend, but did not.

Sir Peter gave an introductory speech. He believed that the true choice in the election was still between the Labour and Conservative parties. Trade Union members should remember the “savage” cuts the Conservative Party represents. He urged those in attendance to see through the rhetoric, and recognise that they are “itching” to take £6 billion out of the economy as soon as they are elected. There remains a deep difference in philosophies between the two parties.

Referring to Parmjit Gill, Sir Peter said that when he was last in Parliament (For ten months between the death of Jim Marshall and Peter Soulsby’s election) he was rarely seen, either in Leicester or in Westminster.

Sir Peter reiterated that nationally, he believed the choice had to be for the Labour Party. He pointed to Labour achievements over the last thirteen years; the minimum wage, the climate change act, pensions credit, investment in schools and the NHS, and their effect on employment and inflation. He also believed that the Labour Party had made the right choices over the recent economic downturn. He believes that the cuts proposed by the Conservative Party will “torpedo” the fragile recovery.

Sir Peter went on to say that he was ashamed of the war on Iraq, which he referred to as a “criminal blunder”. Although he wasn’t in Parliament when the war began, he has since voted strongly for the inquiry into the war, as well as troop withdrawal. He also broke Labour ranks to vote against 90 day detention.

Questions were then taken from the floor. The order of questions and replies has been altered slightly in places, in order to make these notes easier to read.

What extent do you believe the public sector should be privatised? Can you point to an example of privatisation actually improving anything? Should things currently privatised be bought back into public ownership? If your views differ from the Labour Party line on this and other subjects, what influence do you have?

Sir Peter replied by saying that he could not think of a single example of privatisation improving the public service it took over. He went to say that he does not believe it’s necessary for everything to be done “in house”, but core services should always be public. He made the point that pay and conditions of staff always suffer when privatised, and did not believe there was an argument in favour of it.

In his opinion, privatised jobs in the NHS should be renationalised with no further privatisation allowed. The “crazy” current situation on the railways should also be reversed. He also stated that he was sure there were many examples within PCS branches that should also be reversed.

Sir Peter made the point that New Labour were “the smallest party ever elected”, but his differing views are tolerated and debated within the party more than they have been in a long time. He believes that the New Labour project was “misguided”, but remains proud of the party’s achievements while in power.

Mapely, who own the HMRC estate, have been overpaid more than £520 million and don’t pay UK tax. How can the government claim they cannot act over Mapely because they have a contract, whilst tearing up the contracts of civil servants by cutting the Compensation Scheme? Where do you personally stand on the changes to the CSCS?

Sir Peter said that he sympathised with PCS’ position over the Compensation Scheme, and agreed it was incredible that the government felt they could change civil service contracts but not Maplely’s. He included this as a “dodgy deal” along with many PFI initiatives and “rip off” consultants.

He went on to say that cuts would be necessary following the election, but those made by the Conservative Party would be far worse. Labour will try all they can to minimise cuts and protect jobs. On the CSCS, Sir Peter said it was “crazy” that the government has not negotiated again with the union, especially considering how strongly they called for negotiation in the recent British Airways dispute. He could clearly see why the union had gone on strike and promised to press for more negotiations.

The talk of public sector cuts always ignores that, in HMRC, we currently have and estimated £120 billion of uncollected tax. Rather than staff cuts, shouldn’t we be properly funded to pursue this money? The idea of cuts not reaching “frontline” staff is often heard. Can you really draw a distinction like this amongst public service staff?

Sir Peter replied that he believed the distinction of “frontline” staff was “ridiculous”. he pointed out the false economy in staff cuts; it’s easy to reduce the bottom line, but you have to take into account the effect it will have. Conservatives complain that hospitals have become less efficient under Labour, but in reality we are spending more money per patient in order to deliver a better service. Public services require investment.

The Labour party still attempts to project a socialist face in some senses, yet legislation like the anti-union laws persist. Do you see the party moving to the left in the future?

Sir Peter answered that he was “hopeful” that the party would begin to turn back towards the left. He acknowledged it wouldn’t be a sudden change, but said he was committed to reclaiming the party.

The media are quick to paint public servants as having the advantage over the private sector; in reality, we are not as well paid. Shouldn’t the focus be on bring up the levels of those who are low paid, rather than the reverse? With all the talk of public sector pay restraint, why has there been no mention of pay restraint for the bailed-out bankers, or our MPs?

Sir Peter replied that he sympathised with the plight of public sector workers and acknowledged we had suffered. He went on to say that the public sector, in general, are not well paid when compared to the private sector. The attraction of working for the civil service was traditionally job satisfaction, a good pension, and the CSCS. These must be defended, and pay should be improved.

Sir Peter commented that civil service management seemed to run things according to the latest fashion in business, with fundamental ideas of working together ignored.

With the highest unemployment for eighteen years, young people in particular will suffer. What does your party plan to do about youth unemployment and do you support them?

Sir Peter agreed that young people are disproportionately effect by high levels of unemployment. He said that Labour was committed to giving young people a decent start, and had invested in Job Centre Plus, created many new jobs, and guaranteed work or training to everyone between 18 and 24. The Tories opposed all these measures, voted against them, and would be quick to cut them if they were in power. However, these measures still don’t go far enough, and we have only invested 10% of what is needed to aid youth employment.

Labour, despite thirteen years in power, have not reversed the Conservatives mistakes on education. Is there a material difference in the two party’s education policies?

Sir Peter made it clear that he does not support the academy system, but what the Conservatives are proposing will devastate the education system to a whole new level. Money will go from education budgets to unregulated, privately owned schools.

The meeting closed 19.00.

After the meeting Sir Peter signed up to the PCS’s 5 pledges.

Leicester South Question Time

I went to the Leicester South Question Time last night.

Candidates from the three largest parties and the Greens had replied to say they were coming but only one actually did. We received no apologies.

This is bad manners in anyone's book & if you think this shows what they think of PCS, I suggest that you show what you think of them at the ballot box.

The candidate who did turn up was Peter Soulsby, the Labour candidate.

Surprisingly the meeting was a good one with Peter taking questions on public services.

Although he was unable to commit his party to all of our pledges, he did say that he would support our fight to retain the current terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme and oppose privatisation.

The Leicester Mercury gives a good report of the meeting; see the link here.

Make Your Vote Count Meetings

Two dates for your diary.

Thursday 22 April at the Y Theatre, East Street 17:15

Friday 30 April Secular Hall, Humberstone Gate 17:15.

Parliamentary candidates question time. Quiz candidates on where they stand on CSCS, Pensions, Privatisation and Jobs and other issues.

Leicester South candidates on 22nd and Leicester West candidates on 30th.

All welcome, however, to both meetings.

Safeguarding Public Services

I'm at an event on Humberstone Gate organised by city & county Unison.

The level of cuts promised by all the main parties in the election is frightening.

What we need to make clear is that cuts in public funding & job losses mean that the services will be cut.

Does it make sense when unemployment is high to make Jobcentre Plus workers redundant? Fewer staff will be dealing with even more people out of work.

When the well off avoid so much tax does it make sense to lay off HMRC workers?

When there are more families under pressure does it make sense to lay off social workers?

We clearly need a united campaign with all public sector workers to highlight our arguments.



Unity really is strength.

The Phony War Is Over

The election has now been called & everyone needs to think seriously about who to vote for.

PCS does not support any political party but will urge you to vote.

People have struggled & even died to get everyone a vote so it is important that you use it & use it wisely.

PCS strongly urges you not to vote for the fascist BNP who hate people who are not white, people who are not Christian, gay people, women, etc. They are so hate filled that leading members of the party think that instead of having an election for leader they should threaten to kill Nick Griffin.

PCS will again ask questions of candidates & parties about their policies as part of the Make Your Vote Count campaign.

The answers may help you make your mind up.

With a close vote predicted every vote counts more than ever before.

Follow the blog, the PCS web site & our Facebook page for updates on the election.

Activists Meeting

PCS activists from branches in Leicestershire met to discuss the next steps in the campaign.

Watch out for updates on the PCS web site.

We also discussed the Make Your Vote Count campaign as the general election will be called soon.

Again keep a look out for updates.

I am now looking at the budget statement. The (not unexpected) news is that public spending will be squeezed and the government will try and cut the pensions bill.

Our fight needs to go on.

Update from the picket line

Up bright & early.

Exchanged hot coffee & warm words with management

But very few staff are around.

Strike Day 24 March 2010

Please come along and support PCS members on Wednesday 24th March, as they take national action against Government plans to slash accrued rights under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme enabling them to make job cuts on the cheap.
 
The changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme will see redundancy payments cut by up to 30%, paving the way for large scale redundancies as the Treasury looks to balance the books at the expense of public services.
 
There will be picket lines through Leicestershire on 24th (at Revenue & Customs Offices, Job centres & DWP offices, Ministry of Justice buildings, Land Registry Office, Crown Prosecution building and Prison Service offices), please come along and show your support for PCS members as once again the Government shows its contempt for hard working civil servants.
 
On Wednesday 24th there will be an activists meeting upstairs at The Ale Wagon on Charles Street, Leicester from 11.30am, members and other trade union activists most welcome. Can all PCS branches please ensure that their Make Your Vote Count co-ordinator attend the meeting at the Ale Wagon.
 
Please attend picket lines on 24th and attend the activists meeting to show your support to PCS members.
 
PCS Leicestershire District Committee
East Midlands Prison Service Branch
Leicestershire DWP Pensions Branch
Leicestershire DWP General Branch
Leicestershire Revenue & Customs Branch
Ministry Of Justice East Midlands Branch
Leicestershire Land Registry Branch
East Midlands Crown Prosecution Branch

Branch Facebook Group

The branch now has a Facebook group for those of you who are into social networking.

it is there to discuss PCS policies and to follow the activities of the branch.

Search for PCS DWP Leicestershire General Branch and then get networking.

NB Please make sure that you read the warning before you post anything.

If I can work out how to add a link to this site I will.

Make Your Vote Count Campaign

Tony Church, Branch Vice-Chair, is our Make Your Vote Count (MYVC) co-ordinator. Here he explains about MYVC and suggests what you can do to assist the campaign.

MYVC has been an important part of PCS campaigning work for a number of years. It is about holding candidates in local and national elections to account and asking them where they stand on important PCS policy issues. With a General Election only weeks away, it is important that members make the most of the opportunity MYVC gives them to put the parliamentary hopefuls under pressure.

MYVC is also about stopping the far-right gaining seats both in local and parliamentary elections. We are an inclusive union that values diversity to ensure the maximum unity amongst our membership. We are implacably opposed to those who use the policies of hate to create divisions in society. Members can stop the far-right gaining a foothold by using their vote in this and other elections.

It is important that all members Register to vote and encourage their family, friends and colleagues to do the same.

Members also need to visit the Make Your Vote Count pages on the PCS website on a regular basis. We will be publishing statements from the candidates to hopefully help you to decide how to cast your vote and provide you with template letters that you can send to candidates in your constituency on various matters of concern to PCS members. Any replies you receive should be sent to italia690-myvc@yahoo.co.uk. We will try to publish as many as we can.

In addition, keep an eye on the Blog and the PCS website for details of ‘candidates’ question times’. We want to arrange as many of these as possible in the run-up to the General Election to give members the opportunity to put candidates on the spot, publically exploring where they stand on issues like the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, pay, jobs, privatisation and pensions.

General Elections empower working people for a short period and whilst they are not the ‘be all and end all’, they give us an important opportunity to put those who say they want to represent us on the spot.

It’s your vote. Use it. Make it count.