Thursday 30 November 2017

Glenfield Children’s Heart Unit

We won the battle. We still need to win the war to keep the NHS as a fully funded, publicly owned, publicly run, public service.




Tuesday 17 October 2017

Pay Ballot

For all the arguments see the PCS web site. If the government can afford to fund dodgy deals with the DUP they can afford to fund a public sector pay rise. Vote now & vote YES YES. 


Saturday 2 September 2017

Leicester Pride

PCS was on the parade. The branch supports our LGBT members and opposes discrimination of all sorts. I waved to some members who were taking a break from their Saturday shift to look out of the window. 

Saturday 8 July 2017

Glenfield Children's Heart Unit

We are out protesting again. We are determined to keep the centre open. 


Thursday 6 July 2017

Unionlearn Award

Congratulations to our very own Ashraf Haji for winning a national TUC Union Learning Rep award for his work with older workers. 


Thursday 25 May 2017

PCS ADC Thursday Morning

Here we go for the last day of conference. It's a beautiful day but we are in a large hall with no natural light with blasts of cold air from the air conditioning. 

We start off with affiliations and the always controversial motion on affiliation to Abortion Rights. 

We then looked at social & economic issues and the quick fire guillotine section where we try and pick up some motions that we didn't have time to hear earlier in conference. 

As before, if you want the details of what we carried please see the text on the PCS web site. We carried A73, A75, A300, A76, A77, A78, A79, A80, A81, A302, A298, A23, A50 and A29.

A72 was lost as it calls for disaffiliation from Abortion Rights. 

A32 was remitted as CSWAT are not qualified to diagnose various neurological conditions. 

That completes conference for another year. 

And here's another view of Brighton to wave goodbye. 

 

Wednesday 24 May 2017

PCS ADC Wednesday Afternoon

We're back in session starting with organising. 

We then moved on to discuss the controversial political strategy motions. We agreed to support any party that supported our aims of an anti-austerity economic strategy, support for the NHS, nationalisation of certain industries, etc. and called for as much support for Labour Party candidates as is allowable under current PCS policy. 

We then had a celebration of 20 years since the end of the ban on trade unions in GCHQ. 

We then discussed services and structures. 

The details of what we agreed are in the motions. We carried A46, A47, A48, A304, A305, A62, A224, A64, A65, A66 and A67

A67 was remitted as this would limit the options for a replacement travel booking service. 

A69 was remitted so it could be discussed as part of the review of branches. 

 

PCS ADC Wednesday Morning

The sun is out but I'm in the conference hall listening to the financial report. 

We discussed financial issues and donations and affiliations. 

We then discussed personnel policy followed by international issues and environmental issues. 

If you want to look up the full details the motions carried were A19, A20, A22, A24, A25, A310, A26, A27, A38, A303, A317, A39, A41, A42, A43 and A44

Motion A21 was remitted as it was too prescriptive. 

A287 was remitted as it is for the National Disputes Committee to have the final say on industrial action. 

 

Tuesday 23 May 2017

PCS ADC Tuesday Afternoon

We're off with an introduction by the National President, Janice Godrich. 

After a rousing speech moving the Annual Report by Mark Serwotka we moved on to the motions. 

We started with opposition to job cuts in various parts of the civil service and then pay and pensions.

If you want to look up the details the motions carried were A1, A307, A308, A309, A4, A5, A6, A9, A10, A15, A16, A17 and A18.

A12 was remitted as there could be pay reductions for some staff if the terms of the motion were strictly applied. 

 

PCS Annual Delegate Conference

We've had a lunch break while the room is rearranged for ADC and we're about to get going again. I'll bring you the news session by session with additional highlights as they happen. 
 

Bash Chilwan

The Group Treasurer, our very own Bash Chilwan, moved the DWP Group accounts. 

 

DWP Conference Tuesday Morning

Motions started with a section on welfare reform calling for an end to sanctions and other attacks on claimants. We also called for opposition to the rape clause of the two child policy. 

We discussed Health & Safety issues. Unfortunately we ran out of time for our motion A186 on Driving & Talking to be heard. 

We discussed organising and finished DWP Conference by racing through some motions that we had not had time to hear. Sadly we still didn't have time to hear either of our motions. 

If you want to look up the details the motions carried were A154, EM7, A163, A165, A166, A167, A171, A180, A181, A182, A188, A196, A197, A200, EM3, EM13, A55 and EM9

A58 was remitted. This means that the spirit of the motion could be carried out but not all of the terms, as one of the instructions could contravene the Data Protection Act.  

A57 was remitted as, although we support members right not to be sacked before a trial, any suspensions should be on full pay. 

 

Conference Day 2

The mood of conference is sombre following the events in Manchester yesterday. We started with a minutes silence.

Murder is never a legitimate means to pursue your political aims. The Grand Hotel here in Brighton should remind us of this. 

 

Monday 22 May 2017

Mark Serwotka

The afternoon was energised by our General Secretary giving a rousing speech and looking fit & healthy after his heart transplant. 
 

DWP Conference Monday Afternoon

We kick off with A70 on office closures. This includes our motion and supported by Marcus Chapman & Elki from our sister branch of Northamptonshire. This was carried overwhelmingly. Conference unanimously supported the strike action to retain Sheffield East Avenue Jobcentre. 

We then discussed further People & Locations issues such as the Corporate Centre Hubs policy and trying to save various sites. 

We then discussed various issues to do with a campaign for more staff. 

We discussed various operational issues. Attendance Management will probably be of most interest to the largest number of members. 

We then discussed equality issues & finished with a motion calling for open consultation. 

If you want to look up the details the motions carried were A70, EM14, A88, A89, A92, A102, A108, A110, A111, EM10, A115, A121, A128, A129, A130, A131, A132, A134, A138, A141 and EM11

A143 was remitted which means that the instructions could be carried out but the implication that the Employee Deal was discriminatory was not accepted. 

A152 was lost as it accuses the GEC of not challenging the secrecy around office closures. It also calls for open negotiations but these are often counterproductive as it can lock management into a fixed position. 

 

DWP Conference Monday Morning

The main motion was A1 which set the tone of the morning. 

This motion was overwhelmingly carried and confirmed that we will move forward with the Employee Deal as the basis for negotiations but will try to improve the implementation and improve some of the terms. The subsequent motions supported this approach. 

There followed uncontentious motions seeking to improve pay and conditions. Unfortunately there was not time to hear our motion on basic skills (A59). 

If you wish to see the details the following motions were all carried, A1, A17, A23, A24, A26, EM8, A28, A32, A33, A47, A48, A49, A51 & A54. 

 

PCS DWP Conference 2017 Opens

Having run the gauntlet of leafleters & paper sellers we are in the conference hall to hear Fran Heathcote open conference. 

This year I'll provide a digest of the issues twice a day, at lunch and after Conference. If anything particularly important or interesting happens, I'll also post that. Wish us luck. 

 

Sunday 21 May 2017

Traveling to PCS Conference

Noel Corry, Alan Groves & I are now off to Brighton for Conference. Regular updates will follow. 
 

Saturday 13 May 2017

Midlands Trades Council Conference

I am in Birmingham representing Leicester & District Trades Union Council. Our PCS branch continues to be a leading light within the union and in the wider Trade Union movement. 
 

Tuesday 9 May 2017

PCS DWP Elections

Here's a personal message from our PCS DWP President, Fran Heathcote, which she sent to me. The branch fully endorses this message so I'm sharing it with all of you. 

If you have registered an email address with PCS via the website you should have received an email, to your home or workplace, with a link to vote in the PCS DWP Group Elections. The email will have "Online voting" in the sent from field. This will be the only way you can vote in these elections and you will not receive a ballot paper. If you haven't registered an email address with PCS you should have received a ballot paper.
The deadline for voting is Tues 16 May.
I am personally asking for your support, for both myself and ALL the candidates below, in these elections. 

These are vitally important times for our union in DWP and we have never needed a strong and determined leadership as much as we do now.

The PCS Left Unity leadership have, broken the Government pay cap in DWP; prevented compulsory redundancies; negotiated significant improvements to Civil Service HR policies; negotiated permanent contracts for thousands of temporary workers; negotiated greater flexibility for contact centre workers; built co-ordinated campaigns with other unions and organisations, and prevented our union's collapse following Tory attacks. Only these candidates can deliver results like these for our members.

You either know me personally, or are my friend on Facebook  and will have seen my posts, so know what I am about and what I stand for.

I am asking you to trust my judgement that these candidates are the ones our members need to lead PCS in DWP through these difficult times.

It takes only 5 minutes to vote so please take the time and ask your friends who are PCS members to do the same.

Your vote is crucial in these elections and I hope that we can count on your vote.
Could you also consider sharing this with 5 DWP PCS members please?

PLEASE VOTE PCS LEFT UNITY!!!

Thank you!
Fran

President - HEATHCOTE
Vice Presidents - CAVANAGH, ROCHESTER, WILKINSON, WILLIAMS
Asst Secretary - BURKE, GRANT, HALL, PAGE, POPE, SEMPLE, SWAINSTON
Organiser - McDONOUGH
Treasurer - CHILWAN
Journal Editor - WATTS
GEC - EVANS, GODRICH, HEEMSKERK, JOHAL, LOTHIAN, McCAFFERTY, McCLURE, McINALLY, MELLER, NAIRN, OWENS, REVELL, RUDDICK, SPENCER, WATKINS, WEST, WHITING

Monday 1 May 2017

May Day

International Workers Day has a good PCS presence. 
 
 

Friday 28 April 2017

Workers Memorial Day

Today is International Workers Memorial Day where we remember those who died at work. There were 15 this year in the East Midlands alone. The Leicester commemoration had as speakers the Lord Mayor, a Unite speaker from their construction sector and he MP for Leicester South, Jon Ashworth. Remember the dead and fight for the living. 

 

Sunday 23 April 2017

PCS NEC Elections

My ballot paper has arrived. This one has to be completed on the ballot paper & posted; there is no electronic option. The branch strongly recommends that you vote for Democracy Alliance candidates
 

Tuesday 18 April 2017

PCS Elections.

You will soon receive your National Executive Committee ballot paper. The law says you can only vote in such elections by post.
For the DWP Group Executive Committee elections, if you have an e-mail address registered with PCS, you will only receive an electronic ballot paper and your own unique security code. Without the interference of anti-trade union laws here, PCS is trying to increase participation by allowing you to vote securely online. 
You will not receive a paper postal ballot. These will only be issued to those members with no registered e-mail address. 
You will receive your NEC ballot first and then about a week later your group vote.
Please use both. Democracy is important and we all pay subs to decide who should lead our union. 
Please share this information with your colleagues.
When ballot papers are issued I will let you know the branch recommendations. 

Tuesday 11 April 2017

Thursday 9 March 2017

Save Glenfield Children's Heart Unit

A protest is assembling outside the consultation meeting at the Tigers. The Leicester & District Trades Union Council banner is there but most of the people won't get in. 
 

Saturday 4 March 2017

#ourNHS

We've made it to the end of the March with the Leicester & District Trades Union Council banner. The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it. 

 

Friday 3 March 2017

Branch AGM

The Branch AGM took place this week. The room we had was rammed with far too many people standing. We'll have to get a bigger room next year.

We managed to keep our cool while demolishing a box of free samosas.

We elected a new committee who are listed on this page and passed three motions. 

One to protect our members and customers when they are talking and driving. This was particularly timely on the day that penalties doubled for this driving offence.

One was to put literacy and numeracy assessment and help in place for members who wanted it.

Lastly we carried a motion to support our GEC in its strategy to oppose the office closures following the recent People and Locations announcements.

We got an update on what is going on in DWP from a PCS perspective and then we finished on time.

Hopefully I'll see even more of you next year in a larger venue.

Wednesday 22 February 2017

Donald Trump State Visit

As leading members of Leicester & District Trades Union Council, this branch will continue to fight against misogyny, racism & Islamophobia. While Donald Trump continues to pursue policies that promote hatred we will campaign against giving him full state honours. 

The branch representatives are proud to be amongst the L&DTUC members to sign the open letter to the Leicester Mercury today. 

 

Saturday 11 February 2017

Glenfield Children's Heart Unit March

I'm proud to be holding the Trades Council banner on the Save Glenfield Children's Heart Unit march.

 

Friday 10 February 2017

Glenfield Children's Heart Unit

The petition is in. The consultation has started. The fight goes on. 
 

Monday 30 January 2017

Donald Trump Protest

The demonstration at the clock tower was really well attended. The arbitrary ban on people from Muslim countries is Islamophobic and possibly illegal. To welcome Donald Trump to this country with the trappings of a full state visit in these circumstances is outrageous.