1. Chair’s Opening Remarks

The 2012 Branch AGM began at 13:30. Branch Vice President, John Layfield welcomed members to the meeting.

2. Adoption of Agenda

The agenda was agreed.

3. Apologies

Andy Jennings, Mike Richards, Martin Clements.

4. Tellers

Branch auditors Paul Darbyshire and Jamie Bareham were agreed as tellers.

5. Record of AGM 2011 Decisions

The minutes were agreed.

6. Adoption of Annual Report

The Branch Secretary, Martin Kelsey, moved the 2011/12 annual report which was adopted by the meeting.

7. Adoption of Branch Accounts

The Branch Treasurer, Derek Mellor, moved the 2011 accounts which were adopted by the meeting.

8. Branch Elections

The following were elected to represent members during 2012/13:

President: Andy Jennings

Vice President: John Layfield

Secretary: Martin Kelsey

Assistant Secretaries: Karen Bolger, Emma Mooney, Mike Richards, Alan Saunders

Organiser: Derek Mellor

Treasurer: Susan Sim

Committee: Dean Barron, Gillian Brown, Diane Burton, Clare Graham, James Harrison, Andrew James, Gary Jones, Sarah Marsh, John McAllister, Matthew Shiel, Kevin Smith, Paula Smith, Brian White Union Learning Officer: Christine House Branch Auditors: Paul Darbyshire, Jamie Bareham

9. Group Nominations

The following nominations were agreed:

Group President: Andy Jennings

Vice President: Sharron Edwards

Deputy Group Secretary: Jonathan Bigger

Assistant Group Secretaries: Lawrence Dunne, Paul Jones, Martin Kelsey, John Layfield, James Leader, Clayeon McKenzie, Paul McGoay, Mike Richards

Treasurer: Denise Speakman

Group Executive Committee members: Nick Andrews, Simon Boulton, Dave Griffiths, Graeme Johnson, Chris Kelly, Shaun Luzio, Ann Martin, Allie McLachlan, Derek Mellor, James Cox, Liam O'Donnell, Carl Peppercorn, Neil Sepujak, Rex Tyrell Standing Orders Committee: Helen Cawkwell, John Negus Editorial Board: Malcolm Davey, Neil Masters, Aurelia Smith

10. National Nominations

The following nominations were agreed:

President: Janice Godrich

Vice Presidents: Sue Bond, Paula Brown, Kevin McHugh, John McInally

National Executive Committee members: Ian Albert, Mark Baker, Clive Bryant, Ian Crossland, Alan Dennis, Mike Derbyshire, Mary Ferguson, Helen Flanagan, Cheryl Gedling, Jackie Green, Kevin Greenway, Sam Hall, Zita Holbourne, John Jamieson, Andy Jennings, Emily Kelly, Adam Khalif, Neil License, Marion Lloyd, Dominci McFadden, Lorna Merry, Chris Morrison, Andy Reid, Dave Richards, Glenn Siddall-Butcher, Derek Thomson, Karen Watts, Hector Wesley, Paul Williams National Standing Orders Committee: Ian Fitzpatrick, Jon Gamble, Gordon Rowntree Editorial Board: Jon Bigger, Julie Bremner, Robbie Faulds, Elenor Haven, Kevin McCafferty

TUC Delegation: Chris Cuthbert, Rachel Edwards, Robbie Faulds, Naiz Faiz, Ringo Gebbie, Carol Gerrard, Austin Harney, Gavin Hartley, Fran Heathcote, Dee Luxford, Fiona McDonald, Sarah Robinson, Gordon Rowntree, Fiona Staff

Women’s TUC Delegation: Chris Cuthbert, Sharon Edwards, Carol Gerrard, Elenor Haven, Rachel Heemskerk, Fiona McDonald, Marianne Owens, Katrine Williams

Youth TUC Delegation: Louise Hollingsworth, Joy Lewis, Lee Vernon

Wales TUC Delegation: Marianne Owens, Steve Ryan, Katrine Williams

Wales Women’s TUC Delegation: Marianne Owens, Katrine Williams

Scottish TUC Delegation: Michelle Campbell, Pauline Crawford, Tam Dolan, Ian Fitzpatrick, Louise Hollingsworth, Joanne McAuley, Fiona McDonald, Ian Pope, Allan Sampson

Scottish Women’s TUC Delegation: Kath Boyd, Pauline Crawford, Sharon Edwards, Ruth Henderson, Joanne McAuley

Scottish Youth TUC Delegation: Kath Boyd, Louise Hollingsworth, Ross Thomson

11. Motions for Debate

Branch Motions

1. Rule Amendment (Carried)

“Delete Rule 23 of the PCS Home Office Merseyside Branch Rules and Constitution, and replace with the following: “The Branch Executive Committee shall:

(a) Render any assistance to the National Executive Committee and the Group Executive Committee as may be required, in accordance with the Union’s rules. (b) Appoint such sub-committees as may be deemed necessary. (c) Appoint at least two representatives from within its own number, to co-ordinate the PCS response on UKBA regional issues not covered by the Group Executive.

.(d) Appoint at least one Health and Safety representative, who need not be a member of the Branch Executive Committee. (e) Appoint at least one representative from the membership of the Branch Executive Committee, to have responsibility for environmental issues. (f) Fill any casual vacancy, which may occur during its term of office: (i) by calling up the unsuccessful candidate at the last election with the

highest number of votes; or (ii) by holding a by-election. (g) Co-opt additional members in an advisory capacity, as may be deemed necessary. (h) Nominate any Branch member for Life Membership of the Branch, for agreement at the next General Meeting; in recognition of exceptional service to the Union, and in accordance with Section 3 of the Supplementary Rules of the Union.”

Martin Kelsey

2. Rule Amendment (Carried)

“Delete Rule 6 of the PCS Home Office Merseyside Branch Rules and Constitution, and replace with the following: “The Annual General Meeting shall: (a) Receive the Annual Report, Financial Report and audited Statement of Accounts. (b) Where necessary, elect the officers, Branch Executive Committee, Union Learning co-ordinator, auditors; make nominations for the Group Executive Committee and National Executive Committee; and (where and when applicable) elect Branch delegates to the Union's Annual Delegate Conference(s) for the coming year. (c) Determine Branch policy for the ensuing year. (d) Consider motions and nominations submitted by the Branch Executive or by individual members. (e) Where agreed at a previous Branch General Meeting, convey Life Membership of the Branch to any Branch member; in recognition of exceptional service to the Union, and in accordance with Section 3 of the Supplementary Rules of the Union.””

Martin Kelsey

3. Rule Amendment (Carried)

“After Rule 27 of the PCS Home Office Merseyside Branch Rules and Constitution, add the following new section and rules: “Union Learning Rule 28: The Branch shall elect a co-ordinator for the Branch Union Learning activities. Rule 29: The Union Learning co-ordinator shall be invited to attend all full and emergency meetings of the Branch Executive Committee, in a voting capacity.” Re-number all subsequent rules accordingly.”

Martin Kelsey

Home Office Group Motions

4. Seat Reservations (Carried)

“This Group Conference agrees that there is no further need for reserved seats for Group Officers and Group Executive Committee Members. Consequently, Conference instructs the incoming Group Executive to present the necessary constitutional amendments to Group Conference 2013, abolishing all seat reservations for legacy Customs, CRB and IPS members, w.e.f. the 2014 Group Elections.”

Branch Executive Committee

.5. Privatisation (Carried)

“This Group Conference expresses its total opposition to the privatisation of the Interpreters Operations Unit; and condemns the role played by elements of Home Office Commercial Directorate in promoting the privatisation. Conference instructs the incoming Group Executive to write to the Permanent Secretary to seek an urgent meeting, in order to discuss Commercial Directorate’s apparent bias in favour of the privatisation of Home Office jobs.”

Branch Executive Committee

6. Privatisation (Carried)

“This Group Conference is appalled by the conduct of certain elements of the Group Executive Committee, regarding plans to privatise an area of Home Office work. Group Conference agrees that for Officers and Members of the Group Executive Committee – even in their official side capacity – to support privatisation presents a clear conflict of interest with their Trade Union position. Therefore Conference instructs all future Group Executive Committee Officers and Members to declare at the very onset, any personal involvement that they have in any privatisation exercise; to allow the Group Executive to take any necessary decisions to ensure that there is no conflict of interest with any Group Executive deliberations, decision-making and actions.”

Branch Executive Committee

7. Privatisation (Carried)

“This Conference confirms that it has no confidence in any serving Group Executive Committee Officer or Member who undertakes to promote or progress privatisation in the department; and fails to declare to the GEC their involvement prior to engaging in such action. In the event that a serving Group Executive Committee Officer or Member is identified as acting in the above manner, This Conference agrees that:

• The Group Executive Committee will immediately call upon this Group Officer or Member to resign;

• In the event that the Officer or Member refuses to resign to insist that the Officer or Member travels at Group Expense to the affected area(s) and explain their actions to all of the members directly affected. The Group Secretary will be further instructed to produce a Group members brief explaining the situation.

• The Officer or Member should immediately declare to the Group Executive committee and the members affected any incentive they may have received with regards to promoting or progressing Privatisation.”

Karen Bolger

8. Privatisation (Carried)

“Conference deplores the use of Private Profiteers SERCO to undertake civil service work. The recent introduction of SERCO staff to undertake routine case work described as a “Temporary Migration Backlog” would by itself be deeply troubling due to their catastrophic intervention within the Case Resolution Directorate, however to discover this is coupled with the fact that SERCO is working for free raises questions about the real reason for their deployment. Rob Whiteman and Helen Ghosh are both on record as stating their desired objective to review what work needs to be completed by civil servants and what could be delivered

.by the private sector. It is not too great a leap of faith to see this SERCO intervention as a precursor to a wider invitation to undertake our work. The GEC is instructed to mount an anti privatisation campaign against the use of SERCO or any other private company to undertake civil servants work. Furthermore Pickets should be arranged outside of SERCO’s Headquarters and any workplaces in which SERCO staff undertake work formerly completed by Home Office Staff”

Karen Bolger

9. Jobs (Carried)

“Conference notes with grave concern that in spite of the Employer cutting hundreds of jobs in Croydon, the GEC has failed to organise a single all members meeting in the Croydon estate since the new GEC took office in May 2011. The GEC cannot: A) Legitimately organise and engage with its members if it is not prepared to communicate with them in an open forum. B) Effectively negotiate with management, supposedly on its member’s behalf, if it is not fully briefed by its members in Croydon on what the bargaining issues and priorities are. This conference instructs the GEC officers responsible for Job Cuts to ensure members meetings are arranged for the Croydon estate as a matter of urgency, furthermore a statement is prepared for these meetings to detail why in nearly 10 months not a single meeting has been arranged for all members to discuss specifically the jobs cuts situation.”

Alan Saunders

10.Moderation (Carried)

“Conference notes that the Employer is once again pressing ahead with the introduction of an ill conceived Performance Management process which includes the reinvention of a draconian Moderation Process. The inclusion of quotas to silo staff, means there will always be a percentage of staff who are classified as unsatisfactory performers regardless of the quality of their performance. It is clear the intention of this new Moderation Process is to allow management to sack its staff on the cheap as a way of meetings its budget reduction targets. The veneer of better management performance is a sham, it is to allow management to pick and choose who the wish to keep and who they wish to dismiss. Conference instructs the GEC to organise a boycott of the new Performance Management process with particular focus on the utter rejection of Moderation.”

John McAllister

11.Group Executive Liaison (Carried)

“That this Home Office Group Conference notes that a system of Group Executive Committee Liaison Officers (GECLO’s) appointed by the GEC is currently in place. However, this conference is concerned that on a day-to-day basis there is very little contact between most GECLO’s and Branches with the views of many of those Branches remaining unreported at GEC meetings and opportunities are being lost in Branches who need assistance and encouragement in building membership and pursuing group policies. The GEC is instructed to undertake a thorough review of the GECLO network in consultation with Branches looking at:

• The number of GECLO’s;

.• How they are appointed;

• Their remit;

• Reporting of branch views via GECLO’s to the GEC;

• Reporting to the GEC of each GECLO’s activity in the role;

• Feedback to branches from GECLO’s;

• The activity and role of the NEC Liaison Officer (NECLO) appointed to the Home Office Group. The GEC is instructed to ensure that the report, with recommendations, be completed and distributed to Branches by no later than 30 September 2012 to enable Branches sufficient time to consider it’s content and to submit motions to the 2013 Group Conference.”

Branch Executive Committee

12.Olympics (Carried)

“Conference notes the vital strategic importance of the successful delivery of the 2012 London Olympics for the Home Office and the Con-Dem government. Both the government and the Department will be hoping to use the games as an endorsement of their current policies and to give the impression that there is little opposition to their austerity regime. The games are already having a detrimental impact upon our members and upon wider public services, as embargos are placed upon annual leave requests for our members in the Home Office and the costs of the games rises as the effects of public sector cuts are keenly felt. In addition, the department have considered banning public demonstrations in London during the period of the games. It is also evident that the Department desperately needs Home Office staff during this period to deliver the games, and it is also evident that the conclusion of the games will see unprecedented and savage staff job cuts throughout the department. This Conference therefore calls upon the GEC to:

• place maximum industrial pressure upon the Department in the run-up to the games, including possible industrial action, to address our concerns on jobs, pay, victimisation and service delivery;

• to organise a solid and effective work to rule during the period of the games;

• to organise and encourage leave requests from staff, in order to place maximum pressure upon the department to lift the leave embargo;

• consider organising a London demonstration against public sector cuts and in defence of civil and industrial rights during the games.”

Alan Saunders

13.Strike Cover (Carried)

“Conference notes with concern and outrage the lengths that the Department went to in the June and November 2011 disputes to cover the border with an unsavoury mixture of scabs, cops, privateers and mandarins. Although these attempts were often farcical in their desperation, Conference notes that the Department were indeed able to at least nominally staff the border and reduce the public impact of the strike. In addition, it is evident that the borders were virtually unprotected during the dispute, due to the lack of training of the strike-breakers and the need to maintain a perception of business as usual through reduced queues. Conference also notes with disappointment that the GEC had failed to put in place robust measures to deter and disrupt this practice in the run up to N30.

.Conference therefore instructs the GEC to:

• make the disruption and destruction of the ‘critical incident planning’ scheme an urgent and overriding industrial priority;

• consider every available method to undermine the process, including legal challenges, direct action at the PCP during disputes, and actively consider what action can be taken regarding individuals who cover the PCP on strike days

• expose and challenge the bullying of senior managers to undertake PCP cover

• expose and undermine the blatantly discriminatory and anti-union basis of this practice”

Mike Richards

14.Performance Management (Carried)

“Conference notes with considerable anger the moves by the Department to instate a new and draconian performance management policy, which has a transparent agenda to dismiss a mass of civil servants on performance grounds as a headcount reduction measure. The move follows the position of Francis Maude, who has made tackling ‘poor performance’ in the civil service a priority, and has been gleefully driven forward by the Department who commissioned the policy from Civil Service Employee Policy (CSEP) who have evidently seen the chance to use the agenda to make their divisive dreams come true. Conference notes the most nefarious aspects of the policy including the return of moderation and relative assessment, and a fast-tracked ‘poor performance’ policy which can lead to dismissal in six months. Conference affirms its opposition to the new policy and instructs the GEC campaign to oppose it by any means necessary, including:

• non-compliance

• template grievances

• guidance for managers and staff

• legal advice and Equality Act challenges

• industrial action”

Mike Richards

National Motions

15.Rule Amendment (Carried)

“That this PCS annual delegate conference notes that as “Appendix B: Model Branch Constitution” is contained within the PCS national rules any amendment should require a two-thirds majority of delegates at national conference. However, in practice the NEC considers on a case-by-case basis changes proposed by branches to that model constitution and agrees them (or otherwise) in a similar fashion as they would changes to Group constitutions. Conference finds these two processes to be incompatible. Conference accepts the need for model constitutions as a starting point for new representative bodies within PCS but sees no need for their inclusion in the national rulebook. As such, Conference agrees to delete Appendix B: Model Branch Constitution from the PCS Rules and to rename the subsequent appendices as appropriate. In addition, Conference agrees that the first sentence of SR 4.18 will be amended to read: “Each Branch shall be governed by its own constitution.”

.Derek Mellor

16.Attacks on Trade Unions (Carried)

“That this Conference notes the official re- launch in January 2012 at the House of Commons of the Trade Union Reform Campaign (TURC) which was attended by such luminaries as Eric Pickles and Darren Gough. The sole aim of the TURC is to attack trade union rights and undermine workers' access to justice in the workplace. The people involved in the TURC include:

• Aidan Burley, the campaign's chairman and disgraced Tory MP who was sacked for attending a Nazi themed stag party in France last year and who is under investigation by French police;

• Mark Clarke, the campaign’s CEO, who failed to win a seat in the 2010 general election and has been described by senior Tories close to David Cameron as a ‘liability’;

• Liam Fox MP, former coalition Defence Secretary, who was forced to resign in disgrace over his relationship with Adam Werrity, and who will sit on TURC's parliamentary council;

• Dominic Raab MP, also on the TURC's parliamentary council, a Tory MP who in January last year hit out against feminists, branding them 'obnoxious bigots' whose actions have led to men suffering discrimination 'from the cradle to the grave';

• Priti Patel MP, a significant supporter of TURC, who has produced joint research for the group and has publicly supported the use of the death penalty in the UK. The TURC has close links with:

• the Young Britons' Foundation (YBF), an ultra right-wing group seeking to promote conservatism in schools, colleges and universities. The organisation has described the NHS as the biggest waste of money in the UK;

• the Taxpayers Alliance (TPA), who TURC have described as “brothers” and which is backed by prominent Tory Party donors. Their proposals have included scrapping the secondary school building programme, child benefit and Sure

Start centres for the youngest children. The TURC campaigns:

• to ban employer-funded trade union representatives in the public sector;

• to remove government funding to help improve employees' access to learning and education;

• to remove funding for improving employee relations. Conference further notes that in a letter to TURC Chairman Aidan Burley MP, the Prime Minister wished the campaign all the best. However, reports from the Department for Business shows that the work of union representatives actually saves employers around £1.1 billion annually by helping to resolve disputes and preventing illness and injury at work. The National Executive Committee is instructed to put resources into countering the smears and propaganda issued by the TURC which seeks to undermine public sector Trade Unionists in their struggle to defend member’s rights.”

Branch Executive Committee