National & Group Conference, AGM 2012

               Annual General Meeting 2012

PCS DWP Head Office Sheffield Branch

3.00PM

23 February

Conference Room 1, Steel City House

Nominations and Motions

AGM 2012 – Nominations and Motions

Nominations

Branch Posts	Chair	Ian Wilkinson
	Vice Chair	Kath Housley
	Secretary	Martin Hickman
	Assistant Secretaries (3) (subject to constitutional amendment)
	Organiser	Jessica Hoyle
	Assistant Organiser
	Treasurer	Cathy Murray
	Diversity Officer	Jane Ellis
	Learning Officer	Jessica Hoyle
	Auditors (2)	David Billany Francine Preston
	Scrutineers (2)	David Billany Francine Preston
	Delegates to Group Conference (3)	Jessica Hoyle Ian Wilkinson Martin Hickman
	Delegates to National Conference (3)	Jessica Hoyle Ian Wilkinson Martin Hickman
	Trainee Delegate to Group/National Conference
	Observer to Group/National Conference	James Downton
	Delegate to DWP Regional Committee	Ian Wilkinson
	Delegate to PCS Regional Committee	Ian Wilkinson
	Women’s Advisory Committee (8)
	Constituency Representatives
	Steel City House (3)	Tom Walker Jane Ellis Cathy Murray
	Mayfield Court (3)
	Rockingham House (3)
	Kings Court (3)	Martin Hickman
	Porterbrook House (3)
	All other locations (3)
DWP Group Posts	President
	Vice Presidents (5)
	Assistant Secretaries (7)
	Treasurer
	Organiser
	Journal Editor
	GEC Members (21)
	Standing Orders Committee
	Scrutineers (4)
	Women’s Committee (14)
	Black Members Committee (7)
	LGBT Committee (10)
	Equality Committee (14)
	Editorial Board (3)
National Posts	President
	Deputy President
	Vice Presidents (3)
	NEC Members (30)
	TUC Delegation (14)
	Women’s TUC Delegation (8)
	Editorial Board (5)
	Standing Orders Committee

Branch Motions

Overtime

This AGM condemns the complete lack of sensitivity and Solidarity in buildings where members face redundancy while at the same time overtime is being worked

AGM Instructs the Branch to issue out a statement to this affect with a full explanation of the consequences of overtime in a time of extreme cuts and attacks from this government.

AGM many members in one build were extremely upset when hearing others openly boasting about doing overtime while at the same time these members were put at risk of Surplus in some cases redundancy.

Cuts

Branch notes:

1. The statement by Labour leader Ed Miliband and shadow chancellor Ed Balls that Labour cannot pledge to reverse any Tory cuts. Balls said the “starting point” is “we're going to have to keep all these cuts”
2. Balls and Miliband have endorsed the public sector pay freeze that is slashing living standards for millions of workers
3. That Unite leader Len McCluskey has denounced the statements as discredited Blairism” and said “The real points of differentiation between Labour and the government on the economy are now very hard to identify.”

Branch believes:

 

1. That the statements from Len McCluskey and others attacking Balls and Miliband are welcome.

 

2. That it is more than ever clear that we cannot “wait for Labour” to deliver change and that we will have to fight ourselves against the Tories.

 

3. That the millions of pounds shovelled to Labour by some unions have been wasted.

 

4. That workers should not pay for the bosses and bankers’ crisis. We could defend and improve public services by such measures as taxing the rich, collecting the £120 billion of tax that is avoided and evaded by the rich and corporations, imposing a tax on financial transactions (“Robin Hood tax”), getting rid of Trident nuclear weapons and withdrawing the troops from Afghanistan.

 

5. That we need socialist policies – public ownership and control of the banks for example – not more pandering to the rich.

 

Branch resolves:

 

1. That we are totally opposed to the Tories, their austerity drive and all cuts.

2. To encourage a major debate throughout the labour and trade union movement on the question of working class political representation, affiliation to Labour and the alternatives.

3. That our union and other unions should financially support only those Labour MPs who support the policies of the union and who supported the 30 November strikes. and all further strikes and Campaigns

4. We should open up our political fund so that trade union members can democratically decide that, as well as supporting Labour MPs who support us, it can also be used for campaigning alternatives and to support left political formations that support our policies.

5. That Labour is no shield against the Tories and that trade unions must be in the frontline against capitulation to the politics of austerity. We encourage our union and others to immediately set the day for mass, coordinated strikes as a follow up to 30 November,  but not just one off strikes but mass united strike and a regular basis and to support all other fightbacks such as the Unilever strikes and the construction electricians’ campaign against pay cuts.

6. To co ordinate strike action with anti cuts groups like UK Uncut and local groups

           7. To support any move by trade union leaders to call for a left alternative to Labour.

Group Motions

Decision Making

This Conference condemns the behaviour of senior managers who hide behind junior managers over decisions clearly made by the senior manager or HR Business Partners and the pressure they put on their subordinate to implement a decision they don’t agree with.

This conference instructs the GEC to begin negotiations to improve this policy of avoiding the consequences of bad decisions.

This conference calls on the GEC to negotiate an agreement that:

• Ensures the real Decision maker takes full responsibility and has to deal with any grievance.

• That the subordinate has the right to request in writing from there senior manager or HR Business Partner any decision they are advised or instructed to implement

• That if this is refused the line manager has the right to raise a grievance

• If the line manager disagrees with a decision but has been pressured into making this decision this should be recorded and be used as evidence in any Grievance or appeal

That the representative or member has the right to request this information 

Gross Misconduct

This conference condemns the inflexible policy on Gross Misconduct and instructs the GEC to begin negotiations on a more flexible option in terms of penalties. The policy as it stands give only two options: dismissal or a final written warning. It is the view of this conference that having this inflexible approach does not reflect in a true sense of all mitigating circumstances. In some circumstance it even a final written warning can be far to harsh and something less sever should be an option

If it is proven that there is no deliberant intent on the part of the accused then any penalty should reflect this

Therefore conference instruct the GEC to negotiate some amendments to this policy to include within it

Oral and a written warning

Or moved down to minor or serious misconduct

This will then it is felt be a fairer reflection on some mitigating circumstances were there could have been and have been other underlying issues leading to circumstances were a member is facing this particular process.

National Motions

Cuts

Conference notes:

1. The statement by Labour leader Ed Miliband and shadow chancellor Ed Balls that Labour cannot pledge to reverse any Tory cuts. Balls said the “starting point” is “we're going to have to keep all these cuts”
2. Balls and Miliband have endorsed the public sector pay freeze that is slashing living standards for millions of workers
3. That Unite leader Len McCluskey has denounced the statements as discredited Blairism” and said “The real points of differentiation between Labour and the government on the economy are now very hard to identify.”

Conference believes:

 

1. That the statements from Len McCluskey and others attacking Balls and Miliband are welcome.

 

2. That it is more than ever clear that we cannot “wait for Labour” to deliver change and that we will have to fight ourselves against the Tories.

 

3. That the millions of pounds shovelled to Labour by some unions have been wasted.

 

4. That workers should not pay for the bosses and bankers’ crisis. We could defend and improve public services by such measures as taxing the rich, collecting the £120 billion of tax that is avoided and evaded by the rich and corporations, imposing a tax on financial transactions (“Robin Hood tax”), getting rid of Trident nuclear weapons and withdrawing the troops from Afghanistan.

 

5. That we need socialist policies – public ownership and control of the banks for example – not more pandering to the rich.

 

Conference resolves:

 

1. That we are totally opposed to the Tories, their austerity drive and all cuts.

2. To encourage a major debate throughout the labour and trade union movement on the question of working class political representation, affiliation to Labour and the alternatives.

3. That our union and other unions should financially support only those Labour MPs who support the policies of the union and who supported the 30 November strikes. and all further strikes and Campaigns

4. We should open up our political fund so that trade union members can democratically decide that, as well as supporting Labour MPs who support us, it can also be used for campaigning alternatives and to support left political formations that support our policies.

5. That Labour is no shield against the Tories and that trade unions must be in the frontline against capitulation to the politics of austerity. We encourage our union and others to immediately set the day for mass, coordinated strikes as a follow up to 30 November,  but not just one off strikes but mass united strike and a regular basis and to support all other fightbacks such as the Unilever strikes and the construction electricians’ campaign against pay cuts.

6. To co ordinate strike action with anti cuts groups like UK Uncut and local groups

7. To support any move by trade union leaders to call for a left alternative to Labour.

Building in the Community

This conference notes and welcomes Unite the union’s initiative to build and get involved in local communities.

This conference further notes the importance of education and building a strong united Labour movement not just within the workplace but also in local communities

This conference instructs the NEC to look at the way PCS can do something similar in recruiting members of the local communities and introducing a small Subscription.

 

• To encourage PCS activists to attend and speak in local meetings and events to promote PCS and the trade union movement in general
• To explore a practical way PCS can offer some kind of Service to anyone joining PCS under this initiative.
• To approach and work with other like minded unions who support such an initiative.

Conference believes that this is vital in rebuilding after years of decline and to counter the negative propaganda of the establishment and right wing press.