Merry Christmas

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Some News

I awoke yesterday morning with the realisation that whatever I may like I cannot step away from the massive battle that my union, PCS, that I played a part in creating and building is facing. It is a fight for its life as the Tories try to financially crush us as they did with the NUM. So in the light of NEC decisions this week to suspend elections I am staying on to be part of the battle. People may have differences. Even comrades can take different angles to look at things, but one thing is clear we cannot afford to lose this fight and we all have to unite put any differences aside for the moment and ensure that we totally repel the real enemy. When that battle is won we can argue about policies and the direction that our union takes. But we will still be there to have those arguments and that is what is the most important thing to me. Forward to victory comrades. Our future is all in our hands.

Decent Jobs Week

The TUC are in town campaigning for decent jobs. Our BEC went down to support the Leicester event. See http://www.tuc.org.uk/events/decent-jobs-week for more details.


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CMG Leicester Meeting

PCS met with the Leicester Centre manager on 27 November 2014.  This is a brief overview of what we felt was a helpful and constructive meeting with

Staff Survey

This was only released earlier in the day and would cross over many of the issues. Management to examine results and meet again later.

 Annual Leave

We reported a few problems. The manager was surprised and will put a reminder out to apply some consistency  to decisions, for example, allowing two consecutive weeks in the summer except one Wednesday because the team was over its “ tolerance”. She was disappointed to hear this.

8-8 Saturdays

We had submitted questions as they wish to issue the letter announcing the start date. However, this will create a number of questions for Line Managers  who will not be able to respond until decisions are made . A separate meeting will be held with TUS in w/c 1 December to discuss the detail.

Safety Committee

No opposition and it was agreed that we would , for expediency, draft a constitution and send in some draft agenda items (already circulated to H&S leads). We wish to meet quickly . A meeting had been arranged with Cofely and requested that a PCS rep attend .

Attendance Management

Stress - We said we were disappointed that the stress awareness sessions agreed in September had not been delivered to EO & Line Managers. We said many absences could be avoided by early intervention and if a member of staff has the courage to say that they need help they should get it and complete the Stress Reduction Plan at the earliest opportunity.

Deep dive visit - No consultation locally , Regionally or Nationally , though the manager believed that there was agreement. Already escalated to each tier. We expressed concerns about the purpose of the visit saying it was outside the DWP policy, potentially outside the Data Protection Act and a DP Commissioner’s decision, and that it may breach trust between line managers and their team members. We supported her raising  managers’ awareness and helping to get the process right, but not necessarily delving into cases, particularly stressful ones, where members may be asked to revisit sensitive issues. We suggested if there was an issue it should be resolved locally.

Plan, Commit, Deliver

Already started on New Claims. We asked what value it added to the business and when staff are already stressed it may add to their concerns it not hitting their “PLEDGE”. TUS were invited to a delivery session.

TDA advert

TUS said it was run over too short a period that would exclude many off for half term, breaching Equality aims. Indeed there was no equality statement with the advert. We stated that training and support would be needed to deal with the many HR aspects. It would be sensible to avoid using TDA staff to cover on the more challenging teams. It was not considered to be a one off exercise and will be repeated in the future.

Playscheme

Letter still not issued despite being told it would be issued by 15/11/14. We pushed for this to be pursued.

Use of TU room

Work Services still “booking “the room. Possible room can be locked and keys available for TUS reps only? Further discussions to follow.

Reasonable Adjustment Passport

TUS recommended all staff with adjustments complete as a personal record and saving of business time . We agreed to forward to Management to discuss and consider. the link is attached . it was only issued via the Equality and Diversity site on the DWP intranet.

TUS requested the Equality and Diversity data for last year (2013-14) - performance ratings broken down by gender , working pattern , ethnicity , disability , age and grade.

Organisational changes announcement

We thanked the manager for taking our suggestions up and for the way she conducted the floor meetings. Members had fed back to reps that  the news was welcome and it had lifted some of the frustration around everything having arrears linked.

Disclosure of individuals’ working patterns via the template

TUS had received complaints that there was no need for that.

Central England Group Work Services Meeting

We met with CEG management on Friday 21 November 2014.
 
As you may have seen we were unhappy with a number of issues as outlined in our recent circular here.
 

The meeting was extremely productive .

The following was discussed .
 
Employee Relations – management accepted that they have not consulted on issues they should have done . We have agreed monthly meetings with them , either face to face or telekit. The first will be in December

Unipods  - They had been planning the introduction of Unipods since March and apologised for non consultation . Unlikely to be disbanded but they acknowledge the need for a bespoke DEA service , FULL upskilling of staff to cover the “Unipod Coach “following a robust skills analysis by line managers at 1;1, and a full evaluation of Unipod introduction and operation

35 Hour Jobsearch – They accepted this is not enforceable . It should not be embodied in KWO , nor should it form part of a Claimant Commitment

Busy Jobcentres – Risk assessments should have been carried out on all the new processes . They have requested examples where this has not been the case.

Hassle Factor – The document circulated was not commissioned by CEG management . Appropriate steps will be taken to address the unauthorised document.

Attendance Management – They stressed that CEG does not have its own policy and that national procedures must be followed . We gave examples of where this was not the case and have agreed to send more to the HRBP.We have suggested joint workshops on AM to which they agreed . They will come back to us

Must Improve Markings – They stated that again , there was not a CEG approach and the national criteria applies .

ESA Customers  - They have seen some of the threatening invite letters . These will be withdrawn and a more appropriate invitation will be used as the invitation to attend voluntary interviews

They will write out to managers on the issues we have raised and hopefully we will see a much improved attitude to both staff and claimants in Central England WSD

Leics & Northants Work Services Meeting

PCS met with management on Wednesday 19 November 2014 to discuss district issues.  This is a brief overview of some of the topics that we discussed.

While we did not agree on some issues, the meeting was constructive and helpful.

The district manager gave a presentation on the challenges facing the business and where we were heading.

We discussed the Unipod system and we made it clear that there was a lot of concern from staff about training and support.  Management agreed to ask every Work Coach if they had completed the advisor routeway and solution focussed approach and then ensure that any courses took place.  The dashboard would also be rolled out so that everyone had access to the support and guidance specific to each benefit.

We discussed ESA claimants and agreed that we need to ensure that we remain within the law.  We have concerns about claimants being told that interventions are mandatory when they are not and claimants being coerced to stop claiming ESA and claiming JSA instead.

We discussed staffing. We welcome promotion and development opportunities but the future staffing levels were very much unknown.

We clarified that leave levels over Christmas and New Year would be 18-25% with some flexibility as management recognised that there would be a higher need for staff in January when JSA claims peak rather than over the festive period when signing is suspended.

We had a number of outstanding health and safety issues but arranged a health and safety meeting as we ran out of time.

If you have any questions or want further details please get in touch.

PCS Midlands Meeting

A couple of our branch reps are in Birmingham to discuss issues affecting PCS as a whole in the Midlands. Guest speaker is the always inspiring Mark Serwotka.


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Mark Serwotka re-elected unopposed as PCS general secretary

Mark Serwotka has been re-elected unopposed for a fourth term as our general secretary.
No other candidate was nominated by any branch by today's 5pm deadline, so there will be no membership ballot.
A well-known figure in the union movement and in the media, Mark has been one of the most vocal and consistent opponents of spending cuts imposed by Labour and Tory governments.
Our national president Janice Godrich said she was "delighted" and it was "a clear endorsement from members that he has the confidence and full support from our union".
"I have worked alongside Mark for more than a decade and his commitment and dedication to PCS members is unequalled," Janice added. "I look forward to continuing to work with him and tackling the difficult issues we face."
Mark started work at 16 as a clerical officer in what was then the DHSS. He worked in the benefits service for 21 years, including seven as a part-time worker to enable him to look after his children.
Rare among general secretaries, he was first elected to the post directly from the shop-floor in 2000. He was re-elected in 2005 and 2009, and will now serve for another five years.
Mark described it as "an absolute honour " and said he is looking forward to "working with our members and others to continue fighting this government's cruel, damaging and unnecessary obsession with austerity".
"Despite ministers' attempts to undermine us, PCS remains as vibrant and strong as ever and I am proud to be part of a union that opposes their savage cuts to living standards and our welfare state," he added.

Strike Day 2

A successful strike day again. Very large numbers are on strike today. Our pickets are putting the world to rights & working out if it's worth picketing for much longer. Solidarity!


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Strike Day 1

Pickets are starting to assemble, bleary eyed. But we have justice on our side.


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NHS Workers on Strike

The was good support this morning for pickets outside LRI. Plenty of motorists honking support & more than half the pickets were midwives, striking for the first time in over 100 years of the RCM. And, don't forget, it's our turn on Wednesday.


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Britain Needs a Payrise March

Following our strike day on Wednesday 15 October there is a big national march in London on Saturday 18 October. PCS has organised a free coach for people wanting to go. It picks up from Humberstone Gate at 08:30. Contact me to book a seat.


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Mark Serwotka in Leicester

Mark Serwotka, the General Secretary of PCS, is speaking in Leicester now at a PCS event. I'm lucky enough to be here with some other members of the branch. He has returned to work after a period of illness but is still the best General Secretary in the British trade union movement.


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Strike Wednesday 15 October 2014

We are on strike on 15 October. See here for details.






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Growing opposition to staff survey

We would like to tell you more about why we ask you not to participate in the staff survey, but we can't management (locally very robustly!)have told us that we cannot use their facilities to do so. Management say we are campaigning against government policy. Try and get your head around that in connection to a voluntary survey by our employer of its staff!I'm still trying too!! So I have produced below, an article that will appear in the imminent publication of the next copy of the PCS DWP group journal, Voice. I know it's long but try to read it all. It's very important.
PCS has democratically decided policy on employer staff surveys. We ask members not to complete them. We don’t make such policies to be awkward. In fact, if staff surveys were genuinely used by the employer to improve the conditions of our members, we would welcome them as a major reference for our collective bargaining agenda. The fact that members through their branches and then through their delegates to PCS annual delegate conference have decided that we should boycott them should tell everyone that employers including DWP do not use the medium of the survey to genuinely address members concerns over their terms and conditions.
Voluntary
Last year in DWP saw managers up and down the country go to extraordinary lengths to get staff to complete the survey. It was a classic carrot and stick approach. At one extreme, we had initiatives like managers buying their staff a treat for completing the survey and at the other staff being told such stuff as their offices would definitely close if they did not complete the survey. Members throughout DWP reported to their PCS reps that they felt bullied to complete the survey and furthermore to complete the survey with only positive stuff. Some managers also reported that they also felt bullied by their superiors to get “good” results on the survey. In fact, getting good results in the survey appears to be a mandatory objective for managers. But let’s not forget that completing the annual staff survey is voluntary. There should be no “penalties” imposed if you decide that you do not want to participate. In July, DWP published what it called “myth busters” to its managers. Managers were told: don’t put pressure on people to complete the People Survey, don’t use incentives for completion, don’t try to change the questions, don’t influence how people use the response categories, don’t use the People Survey to threaten staff.
Bunker-like
In spite of this, PCS has already this year heard that managers are being given greater encouragement to oblige their staff to complete the 2014 People Survey. PCS has been told contrary to the DWP employee relations framework that it cannot use departmental facilities to inform its members of the union’s policies. Such restrictions are usually only imposed when PCS is discussing industrial action or informing its members about industrial action. It appears heavy-handed indeed that management retreats bunker-like into a refusal to allow PCS to inform its members about policies that are part of the bargaining agenda with the employer and on an activity that the DWP still says has no compulsion on the individual. Management have claimed that asking members not to complete the survey is prohibited because we are campaigning against government policy. But hold on a minute, surely this is the employer’s survey of its staff? What has it got to do with Iain Duncan Smith or any other politician?
Legitimate
Without meaning to management by their reasoning give the game away. The People Survey is not a genuine poll of staff. It is little else than a piece of propaganda to present to their political masters to show that everything is perfectly well in the “DWP family”. In spite of the attacks on our pay, on our pensions, on our jobs, on our well-being, on our estate, we are all feeling positive with our lot and if the politicians want to give us more, we will take it with a smile. Some may see that as cynical, but ask yourselves this: Why are management so keen that you fill the survey in that they will almost do anything to get you to do so? Why will they go to equal lengths to get you to respond positively? Why will they not countenance any dissenting voices expressing concern about what the results might be used for, although under DWP policy it is completely legitimate that such concern based on experience is expressed. Being cynical does not equate to being wrong.

Don't Paticipate in The People Survey

Please see they reasons here.


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FBU Ring of Fire

I'm at the Fire Brigades Union Ring of Fire event at the Clock Tower. Come down & support the FBU in their fight for a fair deal on pensions and in a fight to stop fire station closures.





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Leics & Northants WSD District ER Informal

PCS representatives from both our branch and the DWP Northamptonshire branch met with district managers in our regular discussions to look at issues affecting local WSD staff.

The main item of discussion was issues around the move to unipods.

We looked at the rationale behind it and at some of the potential risks.  We were keen to highlight a number of concerns that members had raised about training and this was taken on board.  We are hoping for more detail to come out following management discussions with learning and development.

We also discussed the DEA role and the risk of losing depth of knowledge while increasing the breadth.  We agreed that we should be clear about the unipod structure to outside organisations.

We had a frank discussion about our concerns about requesting claimants to do 35 hours or ASE activity every week.

We also discussed staffing in the district.  We are close to having the right number overall and PCS will be looking at the site figures in more detail.  Both management and PCS are pushing for any possible promotion opportunities.

If you have any questions about the meeting or have any issues that affect the whole district which you feel that we should discuss in future please get in touch.

Last Weekend's Events

Last Saturday, 30 September 2014, there were two important events which were supported by the branch. There were members of our branch at both events. The events were Leicester Pride & the NHS Jarrow March.






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Anti-War Meeting

The re-enactment of an anti-war meeting held 100 years ago (to the day) was held today on the same spot by the corn exchange. You can't tell from the picture but there were about 100 people there watching and hiding from the rain.

Gaza Vigil

It's a good turnout in spite of the rain. A number of our members are here.


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Vigil for Gaza

The latest ceasefire lasted just a few hours. Not even enough time to bury the dead. The slaughter has to stop. Please make your feelings known and attend the local vigil if you can.


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Solidarity

HMRC are on strike today for more staff & against office closures. I visited their picket line this morning to offer fraternal greetings.


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CMG ER Informal

Branch reps from our branch and the old pensions branch met with the Local Leicester CMG management to catch up with where we are and to agree a process of how to engage with each other.

The meeting was helpful, friendly and constructive on both sides.

Here are some of the items we discussed.

Band As - The band As from both sites are now all based in the Wellington Street site as it will be easier to provide more effective, supportive and consistent management as they were declared surplus on 12 June 2014.  I know PCS have been negotiating at national level and both management and PCS locally are hoping to hear soon what the results of those negotiations are.

Reasonable Adjustments - There are a number of members of staff who do not do telephony work and have previous adjustments in place.  As the work is new it is not unreasonable for a new OHS referral is made to review what people can and cannot do.  Some people will be able to do the new work including telephony with the right support and some adjustments and a small number will not.  PCS got the welcome assurance that that those small number would still have a job in the centre but we do not yet know exactly what the work will be.  Those staff will still complete the full standard training (some with adjustments to the training) in order to fully understand the work that is being done in the centre.

Consolidation - There is a commitment to a lot of consolidation and the fine detail is being finalised.   Staff will be given details as they move out of training.

Estates - Work is ongoing.  Contact the estates team if you want more details.  The new PCS room on the 4th floor provides a suitable private facility to deal with members personal cases.

Industrial Relations - We agreed to meet roughly every 6 weeks with the option for ad hoc meetings if there were urgent issues or messages that couldn't wait.

Support the Overtime Ban

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Overtime Ban

There is now an overtime ban from today, 11 July 2014 until the end of July.

Please support the action.

WE ALL NEED A PAY RISE.


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Strike Day 4

Strikers are massing for the rally. Say hello if we pass.


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Strike Day 3

Charles Street picket line.


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Strike Day 2

The weather is great & there's hardly anyone at work. I've had a wander saying hello to pickets from various unions.


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Strike Day

Pickets are starting to assemble. On my way in this morning I saw pickets getting ready outside the court, housing benefit office & even some offices I didn't know about!





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Strike March & Rally

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Strike Rally

In addition to PCS, Unite, Unison, GMB & NUT it has now been announced that the firefighters union, FBU, and public sector workers in Northern Ireland, NIPSA, will be out on 10 July making this the largest public sector strike on living memory. We urge all members to picket their workplaces. There will be a short march from King Street to Town Hall Square for a rally leaving at 11:45. Please come along and join us.


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The ballot closed at lunchtime today & the result is now out.

Nearly three quarters of those voting voted for action.

Local government workers who are members of Unite, GMB & Unison as well as teachers in the NUT will be on strike on 10 July. It looks like we'll be joining them.

We All Need a Pay Rise.


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Location:Ballot Result

VOTE NOW

The indicative ballot for action on pay closes at 12:00 on Monday 30 June 2014. You can vote up to the deadline if you vote on the internet.

VOTE NOW IF YOU HAVE NOT VOTED ALREADY.


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WSD District ER informal

I've been at the Leicestershire and Northamptonshire District Employee Relations Informal Meeting today.

This is the regular meeting for PCS to meet with the District Manager, Rob Cooper, and discuss issues which affect the whole district.

Issues which affect one site only are discussed by reps based in each office.

Here are some of the items we discussed.

DERM - we discussed the need to complete a risk assessment before deciding to remove the podiums and the screened areas.  Loughborough is the only office in Leicestershire which currently has a screened area.  We also sought assurances about pods and grading of CSMs.

Performance - we discussed spinning plates and the welcome fact that we appear to be moving away from the number of DMA referrals to the quality of those referrals.

Employee Engagement - we discussed that initiatives that the district management team at all levels are taking to engage more with staff.  Both PCS and management are keen that mangers and staff have all the 1-2-1 meetings.  If yours are not happening please make sure that you request them and diary them in.  Please let PCS or management know if this is not happening.

Staffing - we discussed the workforce plan.  We are close to the right number of people but not necessarily the right grade mix or in the right place.  Both PCS and management hope that there is some prospect of promotion later in the year.  This is not guaranteed.  The district has had some transfers in and further transfers would be looked at on a case by case basis.  Management confirmed that there is no blanket ban on changes to working patterns.  Any applications would be looked at on a case by case basis.  PCS recommends that if you wish to change your working pattern you put in a formal application while being as flexible as possible over days, hours and location.  We can help managers and staff with the discussion and advise on the next steps if you are unsuccessful.

Please get in touch with me or your rep if you want any more details or you have an issue that we need to discuss with management.

Wellington Street Pay Meeting

The Leicester Wellington Street Pay Meeting will be on Wednesday 25 June 2014 at 10:30 in the canteen on floor 4.

This is open to all PCS members who work at the Wellington Street Jobcentre, the Benefit Centre, the odds and sods on floor 4 and any other members who happen to be in the building on that day.

You will get 30 minutes paid time off to attend.

Balloting Begins

My ballot paper has arrived. It's really easy to vote.


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Another Pay Rise Picture

Charles Street Jobcentre.


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We All Need a Payrise

Our first group photo from Market Harborough. Check with your rep when yours will be.


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Join The Protest

The pay offer came out today.  1% with no pay progression is a pay cut in real terms.

The government tell us that the economy is recovering and wages are increasing faster than inflation - but this is only for this government of millionaires and their rich friends.

If the economy really is recovering it is right and fair that we all share in this.  Who was it that said we are all in this together?

You will get a say very soon.  Make your choice wisely.

See the PCS web site here for more details.

We All Need a Pay Rise

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Vote YES in PCS Ballot for Fair Pay

You will get a ballot paper soon.

See the PCS web site here for details.

Close of Conference

There's just the vote of thanks, a closing rallying call from Janice Godrich & we are on our way home.


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Guillotine Section

This was not as quick fire as other guillotine section. All motions were carried.

Motion A5 calls for opposition to turning the Highways Agency into a Government Company.

Motion A424 calls for a no redundancy agreement to be negotiated in Northern Ireland to bring it into line with rest of the UK.

Motion A440 calls for opposition to Movement to Work.

Motion A50 calls for mental health awareness to be included in all appropriate trade union courses.


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Motion A88

This motion calls for opposition to blacklisting of trade union activists.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A471

This motion calls for support of Unison Care UK strikers who are fighting for their jobs & pay.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A87

This motion calls for the minimum wage to be set at the level of the living wage as a step to setting it at two thirds of male median earnings.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A86

This motion calls for a campaign against zero hour contracts.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A85

This motion calls for a campaign to raise awareness of the use of food banks & the reasons why they are needed.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A474

This motion calls for opposition to Tory plans for a minimum threshold on people voting in strike ballots. It also calls for efforts to increase numbers voting.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A84

This motion calls for opposition to the transparency of lobbying, non-party campaigning & trade union administration bill which seeks to gag trade unions & other campaigning organisations.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A83

This motion calls for a campaign against demonisation of immigrants particularly Eastern Europeans.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A82

This motion calls for defence of the Equality & Human Rights Commission.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A81

This motion calls for a campaign against conditionality, sanctions & workfare.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A473 & A78

These motions call for continued affiliation to and disaffiliation from Abortion Rights respectively.

PCS voted to continue the affiliation.


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Motion A77

This motion calls for an affiliation to the Campaign Against Climate Change.

This motion was carried.


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Last Day of Conference

This is just a pretty picture & not an analogy that we are going round in circles without moving anywhere. Nor is it a wish to get on a train & go home.


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Motion A63

This motion calls for negotiation of a national contact centre agreement across all government departments.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A62

This motion calls for an end to discriminatory appraisal systems.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A61

This motion strongly criticises the NEC for failing to support a First Division Association (FDA) day of industrial action.

This motion was remitted as FDA didn't tell us & didn't talk to PCS when we found out.


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Motion A60

This motion calls for opposition to quotas & guided distribution of box markings in appraisal systems.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A56

This motion calls for the limit of £100 for donations & affiliations to be raised to £250.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A55

This motion calls for the PCS diary to be reinstated but for the NEC to investigate affordable ways to do this.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A47

This motion calls for support for Employment Tribunal cases where trade union activities are a factor.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A46

This motion calls for opposition to settlement agreements & training & support if these are imposed.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A45

This motion calls for PCS to supply a lawyer for supported Employment Tribunal case if a local rep is unable or unwilling to do it.

This was remitted as it could involve a large financial cost to the union.


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Motion A44

This motion calls for the NEC to look into which of our senior national posts should be elected.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A24

This motion calls for us to endorse the outcomes of the PCS special conference on Scottish independence.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A43

This motion calls on the NEC to establish best practice for disabled staff & negotiate for that with the cabinet office.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A42

This motion calls for the NEC to negotiate with cabinet office to introduce the social model of disability.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A41

This motion calls for dyslexia awareness training for reps & better support in the workplace.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A40

This motion calls for the NEC to negotiate disability leave.

It was moved by our colleague from Leicester Pensions branch, Martin Foreman.

This motion was carried.


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My Lunch

A quick coffee & read the paper.


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Motion A38

This motion calls for opposition to badger culling.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A35

This motion calls for efforts to reduce atmospheric carbon.

This motion was remitted as there was some doubt about how viable carbon capture was, but the good bits would be lost if we voted against.


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Motion A34

This motion calls for us to campaign on fuel poverty.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A31

This motion calls for the ending of the use of nuclear energy.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A33

This motion calls for developing union a green policy on transport.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A30

This motion calls for opposition to fracking & support climate jobs.

This motion was carried.


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Unite Merger Update

Motion A21 was lost so conference voted for A463 as the least worse alternative.


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Motion A27

This motion calls for the rules to be altered so the model branch constitution no longer appear in the rule book.

This motion was lost.


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Motion A26

This motion calls for a word count limit of 500 words on motions.

This motion was carried.


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Unite Merger

This section of the agenda is about continuing talks with Unite. We were mandated to vote for the terms of motion A21 at the mandating meeting.

Motions A21, A463 & A470 were debated together.

Motion A21 has gone to a card vote. While this is being counted we move on. I'll update later.


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Conference Day 3

It's a nice morning. Here's a picture of the other pier. This is not a comment on how I feel this morning. But it could be after the motions about a potential merger with Unite.


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Motion A17

This motion calls for continued support of union education.

This motion was carried.

That's it for today. Back tomorrow.

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Motion A475

This motion calls for the retention of union rooms.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A16

This motion calls for support for an activist who spoke to the press about plans of Hewlett Packard to sack workers.

As he did this in spite of PCS advice & as he refused to take part in the disciplinary process, also against PCS advice we voted against.

This motion was lost.


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Motion A15

This motion called for support for a rep disciplined for speaking to the media about a PCS national campaign.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A13

This motion calls for opposition to the removal of check off but signing up members to DD in case check off is removed.

Tony Church spoke in favour.

This motion was carried.



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Motion A10 & A12

These motions were debated together. They call for protections for various aspects of facility time.

Both motions were carried.


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Motion A9

This motion calls for the endorsement of the organising strategy.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A4

This motion calls for protection of The Independent Living Fund & the PCS members who work there.

This motion was carried.


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A433

This motion calls for opposition to the privatisation of Land Registry.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A3

This motion calls for opposition to privatisation & the resulting job losses & offshoring.

This motion was carried.


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National Campaign

Motions A1, A444 & A460 were debated together.

We voted for A1 & A444 which call for united public sector strikes over pay if possible & a continuing programme of action.

These motions were carried.


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National Conference

Our delegation is ready.


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End of DWP Group Conference

With a vote of thanks conference closed.

I now have a lunch break to catch up with blog entries & prepare for group conference.

Wish me luck as we prepare to go in again.


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Guillotine Motions

All the following were carried.

A222 calls for the core care contract to allow at least 10 counselling sessions.

EM15 calls for DWP to stop using Mozilla as their CEO funds opposition to same sex marriage in the USA.

A163 calls for the simplification of supply for reasonable adjustments as this can delay equipment being provided.

A156 calls for improved guidance & improvements to policy on injury leave.

A151 calls for improvements to procedures where a new diagnosis means the member may fall under the disability definition of the Equality Act.

A154 calls for improvements in policy when a member starts taking new medication.

A40 calls for a campaign to highlight misuse of the claimant commitment.

A141 calls for 20 minutes at the start & end of the day for Contact Centre workers to do non-telephony work.


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Guillotine Section

This picks up any motions not already heard. Motions are often moved & seconded formally & voted on without debate if they are not controversial.

I'll update the motions later when we have heard them all.


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Motion A235

This motion calls for all bulletins to be on the PCS web site in one easy to navigate area.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A232

This motion calls for equality training to be mandatory for all reps.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A231

This motion calls for recruitment of G4S CCO workers.

This was remitted as GMB is recognised by G4S.

Remission means that the GEC will take on the motion but do not have to implement all of the terms of the motion.


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Motion A230

This motion calls for a recruitment campaign in CMG as our density is lower in CMG.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A228

This motion calls for a network of green reps & to negotiate time off for them.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A227

This motion calls for resistance to downgrading including JEGs, legal challenges & industrial action if necessary.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A226

This motion calls for changes to the Decision Assurance Calls as part of the WCA decision making process.

This motion was carried.


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Motion EM13

This motion calls for retention of screens, podiums & warm phones where appropriate under DERM & no downgrading of CSMs.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A217

This motion calls for increased rights for people to attend funerals.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A216

This motion calls for PCS to negotiate making it easier to get partial retirement.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A214

This motion calls for PCS to negotiate more special leave for carers.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A212

This motion calls for PCS to negotiate policies to support foster parents.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A209

This motion calls for further changes to security policy to stop disciplining people for innocent mistakes.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A207

This motion calls for a separate HR policy for harassment, bullying & discrimination.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A205

This motion calls for the GEC to formulate a policy on completion of the staff survey well in advance.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A204

This motion calls for PCS to publicise the discriminatory results of performance bonuses.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A203

This motion calls for the removal of attendance objectives from performance management.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A202

This motion fell as no one from the moving branch was in the hall.


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Motion A201

This motion calls for non co-operation & other action to get rid of the current performance management system.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A183

This motion calls for improvements to training & operation if the performance distribution people performance process continues.

This motion was carried.


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Conference Day 2

The weather forecast is not so good today but the pier still looks inviting. But no time for that as we have DWP Group this morning & the first part of National this afternoon.


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That's it for today

It's gone six. A fringe meeting, something to eat & it will be nearly bedtime.


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Motion A181

This motion calls for a campaign for a maximum pay of £100,000.

It's a strange campaign to argue for pay cuts for other people, however well paid they are.

This motion was lost.


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Motion A164

The section on pay.

This motion calls for proper pay progression & opposition to performance pay.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A158

This motion calls for protection of the disabled employee consideration point.

This motion was carried.


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Motion EM10

The Equality section of the agenda.

This motion calls for a campaign about DWP's decision to close all workplace nurseries.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A143

This motion calls for a list of improvements in the attendance management policy.

The motion was carried.


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Motion EM8

Attendance Management section.

This motion calls for opposition to detrimental changes to the AM policies & local consistency checking regimes.

This motion was carried.


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Guest Speaker

Ricky Tomlinson speaking about The Shrewsbury 24 Campaign.


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Motion A138

This motion calls for job security for band As in contact centres.

However, as management are giving Band As meaningful work & there is an ongoing promotion exercise it is not time to ballot for action.

This motion was lost.


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Motion A134

The Contact Centre section.

This motion calls for management to stick to the Contact Centre Agreement &, if they don't, consider further industrial action.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A132

This motion, also moved by Martin Foreman, calls for CMG to not be overly restrictive on working patterns including part-time & part-year contracts.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A131

This motion calls for CMG to honour all reasonable adjustments when staff are transferred in.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A130

This motion calls for all members to be treated equally in being able to take leave in all parts of CMG.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A129

This motion calls for defence of members jobs at CMG sites other than CSACs in 2017.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A128

This motion calls for the GEC to campaign against charging for the CMG service.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A127

This motion calls for an end to outsourcing CMG work to private sector employers & then using civil servants to prop up these services when the private sector employer can't cope.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A116

The section on CMG is starting with this motion calling for paid breaks in CMG in line with the rest of DWP. This was moved by Martin Foreman from our sister branch, Leicester Pensions.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A112

This motion calls for check off to continue but if it is withdrawn to maximise the time to switch & give reps the time to do it.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A96

This motion calls for opposition to cuts in facility time.

This motion was carried.


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Motion EM5

First thing after lunch & moved by our own Tony Church.

This motion calls for a renewed campaign on pay, staffing, conditions, etc. with a membership ballot for industrial action if necessary.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A81

This motion called for Distinguished Life Membership to be presented to various people.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A75

This motion calls for PCS to look at the contractual details and deficiencies of the Trillium PRIME contract.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A74

This motion calls for help with reading glasses as well as computer work.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A73

This motion calls for CCTV to be installed in all Jobcentres to protect the health & safety of our members.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A72

This motion calls for the GEC to draw up guidance for health & safety reps where sites are co-located.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A71

This motion call for members health & safety to be protected by retaining screened areas in Jobcentres.

This motion was carried.


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Motion EM3

This motion calls for opposition to misuse of work experience to cover staff deficiencies.

This motion was carried.


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Motion EM2

This motion calls for opposition to panic moving staff around and recruiting apprentices to fill gaps. Permanent staff should be recruited instead.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A56

This motion calls for a staffing campaign so we can deliver a good level of service to the public.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A55

This motion calls for the ending of private contracts of employment schemes to firms such as A4E.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A53

This motion calls for proactive organisation so we can be ready to oppose privatisation very quickly.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A42

This motion calls for opposition of privatisation & offshoring of shared services work. It calls for members to be redeployed in DWP rather than made redundant.

This motion was carried.


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Motion EM1

This motion calls for opposition to negative changes to members & claimants caused by PIP.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A32

This motion calls for a campaign against the new appeal rules.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A30

This motion calls for a campaign to protect members jobs threatened by Universal Credit & to highlight the waste of tax-payers money caused by UC.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A29a

This motion calls for the GEC to issue a report on the possibility of non-cooperation with benefit sanctions as part of an industrial action ballot.

This motion was carried by 1 vote with 3 abstentions recorded.


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Motion A12

This motion calls for a campaign against the sanctions regime and targets for DMA referrals.

This motion was carried.


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Motion A1

This motion calls for a campaign for decent benefit levels & against the bedroom tax, benefit cap, WCA, workfare & the sanctions regime.

This motion was carried.


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DWP Conference Day 1

Paper sellers & leafletters are gathered outside the conference hall. It's time to start.


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Travel to Conference

The branch delegation are en route to Brighton. Preparations include checking the PCS Conference phone app. Keep checking this blog for updates & more photos of our local reps at conference.


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Mandating Meeting

We held the Mandating Meeting yesterday at Leicester Pensions Centre.

It may seem a strange choice of venue but the other sites were unavailable because of the works at Wellington Street or the knock on effects of those works.

We discussed the major issues that would be discussed at DWP Group and National conferences, which were the relaunch of the DWP Group campaign and the talks about a merger with the Unite union.

We felt that due to the attacks on pay, conditions, pensions, staffing, etc. that we should support a relaunch of the campaign on all of these issues and seek to apply maximum pressure on our employer in conjunction with other public sector trade unions if possible.  The initial headline issue would probably be pay.

The view of the mandating meeting was that we should continue to hold talks with Unite as a merger would provide greater financial stability, more union staffing support, a more direct route to co-ordinate activities with other public sector workers and a greater say at the TUC through an even larger trade union.  There are dangers that we could lose our identity and focus and our new structures would not be so engaged with our members or as democratic.  As any new rule book would have to go to a special delegate conference for debate the mandating meeting felt that this was a safeguard that would allow us to stop the process if we felt it was not in the interests of the members.  If the conference votes for merger the issue would then be put to all members before we went ahead as a final safeguard.

We also congratulated the members of PCS Left Unity who had been elected in the DWP Group and National elections and supported the election of Left Unity candidates at conference and at the upcoming DWP East Midlands Regional Committee AGM.

We also reported on the talks on merger with our sister branch in pensions.  When they become part of CMG with the people in our branch who currently work on benefit delivery it makes sense to merge the branches.  A circular will go out to all members in both branches shortly.

Leicester Civil Service Holiday Playscheme

The good news is that due to the hard work and determination of PCS we have ensured that the scheme will operate this summer.

We will help to put a business case together for the Playscheme to continue after that which will need to go to the CMG Finance Director.

We'll update you when we know more.

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May Day Rally

We're now in Humberstone Gate listening to speakers including the PCS DWP Group President, Fran Heathcote.


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May Day March

The banners are flying & we'll be setting off soon.


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May Day March

People are starting to assemble for the Leicester & District Trades Union Council May Day March to commemorate International Workers Day.



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Last chance for PCS NEC elections

From the letters page of The Independent 25 April 2014

Union’s democratic decision-making To claim, as Mark Leftly does, that Mark Serwotka “seized control” of the Public and Commercial Services union is just absurd (Westminster Outlook, 18 April). The truth is that in 2000 Mark won a democratic election of the union’s membership and Barry Reamsbottom, whose name was not on the ballot paper, tried to cling on to his former position, vacating it only when ordered to do so by a High Court judge after we had been forced to initiate a legal challenge. The possibility of a merger has been suggested precisely because, thankfully, we are now a union that aims to build the most effective possible trade union fightback against damaging cuts and privatisation. Decisions on merger will be made by our members after a full, open and democratic process. Janice Godrich, National President, Public and Commercial Services Union, London SW11

PLEASE VOTE LEFT UNITY IN THE PCS DWP GROUP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTIONS

In the next few days you will receive a ballot paper to vote in this year’s elections for the PCS DWP Group Executive Committee. Your Branch Executive Committee and local PCS reps recommend that you vote to re- elect the Left Unity candidates listed below. We believe they are strong, experienced union reps who will consult you and involve you in campaigns to back up negotiations for better pay and conditions at work. THEY HAVE GOT RESULTS They have a proven record of achieving results for PCS members by negotiation. • When the DWP cut time off for union reps Left unity used negotiations to get real improvements to make sure that your local PCS reps still have time to represent you when you need help • When the DWP callously sacked thousands of Fixed Term Appointment staff Left Unity used the law and won an employment tribunal that won over a million pounds in financial compensation for them. They understand that negotiations are not enough and have led strike action when necessary. • When Shared Services members were privatised Left Unity led strike action to get valuable concessions protecting jobs and pensions. Now that these members are facing cuts and offshoring Left Unity is again leading action to defend them. • When the DWP issued notices of compulsory redundancy your Left Unity GEC balloted for action and secured a job offer for every individual. THEIR PROMISE A re-elected Left Unity GEC will • Fight the threat to check-off of union subs and organise to make sure every member is asked to switch to direct debit. • Campaign for a pay increase in 2014 of 5% or £1,200 • Oppose the new harsh Attendance Management policies • Fight for more staff, recruitment and promotion • Left Unity will continue to work closely with Janice Godrich and Mark Serwotka to ensure that the full weight of the DWP membership is behind the national campaign to defend our conditions, jobs and pensions. YOUR VOTE COUNTS – MAKE SURE YOU USE IT Every vote for these Left Unity candidates sends a message to management that you want a strong campaigning union that will continue to defend your interests. Make sure you use your vote and talk to other union members about voting for a strong union. PRESIDENT - HEATHCOTE VICE-PRESIDENTS: CAVANAGH, FLANAGAN, KHALIF, WILLIAMS ASSISTANT SECRETARIES: BARTHOLOMEW, BURKE, CUTHBERT, FOREMAN, HALL, PAGE, SWAINSTON. ORGANISER: MCDONOUGH TREASURER: CHILWAN JOURNAL EDITOR: CHURCH GEC: CARASS, FERRABY, GODRICH, GRANT, GREEN, HATWOOD, MCCAFFERTY, MCINALLY, NAIRN, OWENS, POPE, REVELL, ROCHESTER, RUDDICK, SEMPLE, WEST, WILKINSON

Do we want to be United?

Probably the biggest debate of our conference to be held in just under a month is whether PCS should join Unite, the largest trade union in Britain. Last weekend, The Independent on Sunday was claiming that it was a done deal and that far from being a merger, it was a takeover by Unite. The speculation led PCS national president, Janice Godrich, to post the following on Facebook: There has been a lot of traffic on FB sites and elsewhere on the subject of a merger between PCS and Unite and the I am making this posting to ensure that the there is an informed and serious debate. There are activists of course who are genuinely engaging in the debate and are seeking information in order to come to some kind of understanding of the issues involved and that is good, heathly and positive. I wouldn’t expect any less in PCS. However it is equally clear there are others who have decided already, without any debate whatsoever, they will oppose even formal talks on the issue. The back ground is this. A few years ago when Unite general secretary spoke at our conference he raised the issue of closer working and even the possibility of a merger. PCS ADC 2013 gave the PCS NEC authority to discuss this is issue if approached by Unite. The period since has been one of intense activity for both unions and it is only in the period prior to Christmas that any talks at all have taken place. These have been reported to the PCS NEC and material has appeared in union publications and a briefing has been sent to branches. It was only on Thursday 17th April that the Unite NEC agreed continue these talks. An PCS NEC motion sets out a process in order to engage with Unite. It is PCS Conference which will decide whether or not to continue these discussions. More than that the motion sets out the most rigorous democratic process including, full reports to the PCS NEC and branches on the talks, a widespread consultation on any proposals, a special delegate conference to debate any such proposals and lastly, a ballot of members on any such proposals. In PCS the accusation that a merger is either being rushed through or the property of the NEC or “bureaucrats” is not true. Not only is a full democratic debate already taking place any potential merger could only ever take place on the basis of the most thorough democratic discussion throughout the union and on the basis on a democratic “Triple Lock” as outlined above i.e., consultation, special conference and ballot. It has been suggested that any PCS NEC member who has not mentioned the merger and stated their “position” in their election address should not be supported. How could anyone have a position at the stage when the terms of the proposals have not been discussed or set out to express an opinion on? For the record Left Unity itself has no position on the merger other than engage in talks. How could it have? LU will decide its position in the course of the debate. It would however be entirely disingenuous to suggest this is an a “neutral” take it or leave type exercise. There is enormous potential for building maximum solidarity and unity in fighting austerity and the relentless attacks on the public sector and a clear industrial logic in building a campaigning public sector group that can, within the context of the biggest union in the UK, coordinate a fightback on pay, pensions and privatisation and terms and conditions. But any such merger could only take place if we can maintain the fighting, democratic campaigning traditions of PCS. That will mean getting it right on the key issues of political representation and our democratic structures within Unite, particularly as far as our branch and group structures are concerned. Of course, it is also correct to say that differences between a union of 240,000 members and a union with over 2million members will form part of the discussions. Only proposals resulting from formal talks will allow us to decide whether or not this can be achieved. I believe a merger could be a good thing in building a real force to defend the interests of our members and our class. But not at any price. We can only decide on the basis of a full democratic discussion. So why are some people trying to close the debate down before it has even properly begun. Well, of course it is PCS NEC and group election time and their are some who prefer to attack the most campaigning union leadership rather the employer and they believe spreading rumour and misinformation about any potential merger will gain them votes, or to be more precise, take votes away from the Democracy Alliance. Right wing union leaders who have consistently sold out their own and other public sector workers interests, most infamously over pensions are determined to do all they can to scupper any chance of a merger between PCS and Unite because they see the formation of a united public sector group as a threat to their collaborationist strategy. In this they have the strong support of the worst New Labour types who are simply apoplectic about even the idea of PCS and Unite getting together. Exaggeration?, well just go look at the Independent article by Mark Leflty, a New Labour stooge posing as a journalist who invoked the discredited ex-general secretary Barry Reamsbottom to launch an utterly vicious attack on PCS and Mark Serwotka with the express intention of destroying any merger. That this has happened during the NEC elections is reminiscent of the how the Moderates used the tabloid press to attack the left. Along with Mark Serwotka I campaigned to defend the democracy of PCS when Reamsbottom launched his coup. I will continue to defend the democracy of the union I have spent my life trying to build. I do not know if this merger will take place. What I do know is it will be up to our activists and members to decide. So let’s have a genuine democratic debate in order to make an informed decision in the interests of our members and our class. It is clear from Janice's long post that the issues are not straightforward and that members have genuine fears about being swallowed up by a union affiliated to the Labour Party and whose current democracy is not as good as our own. On the other hand, PCS could force Unite to be more democratic and Milliband's reform of Labour means that no-one automatically becomes a member of the party by simply being a member of a particular trade union. Most importantly, it might be argued that being part of Unite makes us a huge and strong pole of opposition to austerity and all political parties that support it. But the fact remains that making the decision to effectively wind-up PCS is not one that anyone will find easy, including those who might support merger. Our delegates need to know your views on this. It is crucial that we vote knowing that whatever way that is, it is what you want us to do. Of course, the vote in May only starts, and not completes, the process and as you will see from the Unite/PCS briefings on the PCS website a lot has to be done yet. But it cannot be disguised that the vote this year will be a defining one and it needs to be fully backed up by members support either way. Make sure between now and conference that you let us have your views.

My NEC ballot paper has arrived. Please make sue that you use your vote. The branch nominated the Democracy Alliance candidates and therefore this is our strong recommendation. See the foot of Janice Godrich's election address on page 1 for a full list.



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Meeting with CMG Management on 17 April 2014

PCS from both DWP branches in Leicestershire met with managers from CMG and the BC and PC in Leicester.

The meeting was useful, productive and, I think, helpful for both sides.

Here are some of the issues discussed.

We first of all discussed the equality analysis.  We were assured it had been done but as there was no legal requirement to publish it we had not seen it, nor been involved or consulted in the analysis.  I got the impression that local managers were not the problem and this item has been escalated.

We got some more detail about the work that would be processed.  Both major roles involve telephony but this will not be full time contact centre style work.  There will also be some other EO work available so everyone will have a job.

With a little luck the training dates will be out this week and whole office meetings to follow to answer questions and fill in some more detail.

There will be training in both Leicester offices and Loughborough but this should only be for those who can get there.

There is still some concern about the playscheme but we have a plan to work with management to try and ensure a future for it.

If anyone wants more detail please get in touch.

Meeting with CMG Management

The two PCS branches met with management from CMG, the benefit centre and the pensions centre on 12 March 2014 to discuss the move to CMG and the move into Wellington Street.

In general there were a lot more questions than answers.  I am a little nervous that so much seems to be dependant on last minute decisions.

To be positive, one of the reasons for this is that management wanted to find out the results of the 1-2-1s before finalising some decisions and then moving quickly to give as much notice as possible.

By the middle of April we should know if the new centre will open until 18:00 or 20:00 and what the opening time will be.  We should also know some more detail on training for those who cannot do a standard training day and other reasonable adjustments.

We are also waiting some national negotiations on breaks.  PCS is pushing for maximum flexibility so that staff can use breaks for health reasons, prayers or whatever without having to lose time.

We are waiting for the outcome of the VES2 exercise and some details of exactly which parts of the 2012 scheme we will be delivering before we can can decide if we have the right numbers and the right grade mix.

We are also waiting to look at plans for the new layout of Wellington Street.

Once we start to get some answers PCS will ask for a further meeting.

Keep a look out for the note of the meeting for further details which should be published soon.

Leicestershire & Northamptonshire WSD Update

It looks like managements commitment to retaining screened areas in Leicester was not as great as I had hoped and it seems there may well be plans for some CSM work to be carried out at band B level.

I'll try and get some more details and see exactly what is going on and when.

Help with personal cases

The link on the PCS web site to the PC1 form is broken.

I have reported this but as I write this post it is still not working.

Please still use the instructions on the How to get help with a personal case page.  I have added a temporary workaround in red at the bottom of the How to get help with a personal case page.

Do not e-mail me personally.

EMP prevents circulation of this

Leicester BC Meeting

I attended the all staff meeting this morning & was very interested in hearing what Heather had to say.

All the key messages are what I wanted to hear.

The messages were (please correct me if I am wrong)-

1) The CMG centre may have a longer future than originally mooted

2) The 1-2-1 meetings were for information gathering only and there is no necessity to sign anything. PCS advice is to be open and honest in these meetings but not to sign anything. If you want to volunteer for extra hours or change your contract then raise this in the meeting.

3) That where you could not attend training on a full time basis this would not be forced on you

4) That issues about prayer rooms, washing facilities, movement of staff, car parking etc. had been raised but there were no answers yet.

PCS will continue to push for answers favourable for our members at the current Benefit Centre and the current Pension Centre. We have a joint meeting with our sister branch and CMG management arranged for 12 March.

We will update you with any outcomes.


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Branch AGM

We've just finished the AGM. I thought it was a very successful meeting with a respectable turnout & some excellent contributions from the floor. We have now adjourned to the demonstration against city council cuts in Town Hall Square.


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Leics & Northants WSD District ER Informal

PCS from the Leicestershire General Branch & the Northamptonshire Branch met with district management last Thursday.

We discussed a number of issues affecting members. The major topics are listed below.

Staffing is likely to reduce, but we don't have our allocation yet. We are in a better position than many districts as we are likely to be very close to our 2013/14 allocation at the end of March. There is some more work coming because of the Youth Contract etc. and Jobcentres may get busier because of MFA, day one conditionality, etc. It is essential that these are explained properly to claimants to avoid conflict.

The postcode areas for Leicester offices will change to more evenly spread the areas of highest deprivation amongst the sites.

We discussed estates including co-locating, closure of Eldon St. We are keen to retain a screened area in the city & so are management.

We discussed the attendance management pack. We had a frank exchange of views but did not come to an agreement.

We discussed the grading of the CSM role. There are no plans to change this in the short term but the job role may change when digital Jobcentres are rolled out. It will be risk assessed.

If you want more detail or want to make the negotiating team aware of issues in your site or area of work please contact a rep.

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CMG Latest

Things are moving really quickly at the moment with plans being drawn up for training and knocking floors 3 & 4 about. The branch is trying to get some more detail on these and other issues. We are trying to set up a meeting with CMG management and the Leicester Pensions Branch ASAP to smooth the transition. If you have any particular concerns please contact a rep.


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A FURTHER ATTACK ON YOUR RIGHTS AS A MEMBER BY AN INCREASINGLY DESPERATE GOVERNMENT

*****This is critical***** Please read, please share on your own networks , switch yourself to DD and get others to do so. URGENT AND IMPORTANT: CHECK-OFF - SWITCH TO DIRECT DEBIT TODAY! Due to a new threat to check off facilities that has emerged, and the need to ensure independence from an increasingly hostile employer, the NEC at its meeting last week made the decision to move existing members on to direct debit as quickly as possible. All new members will additionally be recruited to PCS on direct debit. This is going to be a major exercise and will involve deploying all available resources to ensure maximum impact. The initial materials for the first phase of the campaign are attached: National branch briefing BB/07 A generic switch over form for existing members to change to DD. This is editable so members can use it to type in their contact details. A form for members to supply personal contact information. It's important that we collect as many members' contact details as we can which do not rely on employers. We are again offering a prize as an incentive to members to give us contact information, noting the success of this approach in the context of the December organising activity. Stocks of all materials will be sent to all branch distribution points and to regional/national offices for collection. Please ensure that action begins immediately on this work, which is now the priority for the union. Further detailed briefings and guidance will follow, in the meantime, please visit the website for more information and encourage members to make the switch today!

Leicestershire Against the Cuts

This year there will be a number of events organised by LAC, which is an organisation supported by the branch.

The first one is a lobby of the city council in the Town Hall Square on 23 January 2014 starting at 16:00.

For further information see the web site. There is a link on the right hand side of this page.


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