2021 AGM

Record of Decisions

The AGM was held over 2 days: Monday 8 March 2021 at 12 noon & Tuesday 9 March at 5pm via Skype.

1. Chair’s Opening Remarks - Karen Bolger (Branch President)

2. Adoption of the agenda

3. Apologies

4. Appointment of tellers

5. AGM 2020 Record of decisions - agreed

6. Branch Annual Report (see below) to the 2021 AGM including Finance Report - agreed

7. Branch nominations (See below) - agreed

8. Home Office Group nominations (See below) - agreed

9. PCS National nominations (See below) - agreed

10. Motions for debate (See below)

11. Other business

PCS Home Office Merseyside Branch nominations - agreed

President - Karen Bolger

Vice President - Kris Rowe

Branch Secretary - Phil Mount

Assistant Secretary – Jacqueline Hughes

Organiser - Derek Mellor

Assistant Organiser – Adam Holmes

Treasurer – Helen Gilbert

All elected unopposed.

Branch Executive Committee members (15) - agreed

Chris Smith, Christine Doyle, Philip Brightmore, Lindsay Melia, Dean Barron, Emma case, Andrew Nixon, Appi Kovoory, Clare Kay, Liz Robinson, Thomas Morgan, Amy Farley (3 vacancies)

Auditor (2 posts) - David Cain (1 vacancy)

Delegates to PCS Home Office Group Conference (4) - Karen Bolger, Helen Gilbert, Kris Rowe (1 vacancy)

Delegates to PCS National Conference (4) - Kris Rowe, Helen Gilbert, Phil Mount, Karen Bolger

All elected unopposed.

PCS Home Office Group Nominations - agreed

President

James Cox (Home Office Croydon)

Assistant Group Secretary

Malcolm Davey - Croydon

Philip Mount - Merseyside

Denise Speakman – HMPO Eastern

Group Executive Committee members

Ian Abbott – South & South West England

Karen Alderson – HMPO Northern

Rebecca Hunter - DBS

Dil Joshi – HQ London

Malcolm Speechley – HMPO Eastern

PCS National nominations - agreed

President

Fran Heathcote, DWP Tyneside & Northumbria

Vice Presidents (4)

Martin Cavanagh – DWP Wirral, Kevin McHugh – HMRC Benton Park, Zita Holbourne – BEIS London North, Jackie Green – MOJ Bradford

National Executive Committee members (30) - agreed

National Standing Orders Committee (3) - agreed

Sean Fegan, Registers of Scotland, Keith Brockie, Scottish Government Edinburgh Leith, Pauline O’Brien, HMRC Bristol

Motions relating to issues in the Home Office

Motion 1 (Triggers)* Carried

That this PCS Home Office Group Conference believes the current Attendance Management procedure in its’ current form is unfair and draconian. The standard trigger points of 6 days absence and 3 occasions, and pro rata for part-time members and those on probation are too low. Conference notes that PCS DBS Branch successfully negotiated with their employer an increase those standard triggers which resulted in a more reasonable policy.

This conference instructs the Home Office Group Executive Committee (GEC) to seek negotiations with the employer with a view to increasing the standard trigger points. As part of those negotiations the GEC should be prepared to use the incentive of a ballot for industrial action, including strike action and/or action short of a strike, if the employer is not willing to negotiate an adequate increase in the standard trigger points.

Proposed by Home Office Merseyside Branch Executive Committee

*This motion was submitted last year but as the conference was cancelled due to COVID-19 they have been brought back to the AGM.

Motion 2 (Exceptions and discretion) Carried

That this Home Office Group Conference recognises that there are issues with the sickness absence policy in respect of exceptions relating to disability. Personal case data shows that this specific exception creates significant work for branches in terms of supporting members at attendance meetings, adjournments and appeal submissions with limited positive outcomes from the latter which result in detrimental outcomes for members with recognised disabilities.

Conference notes the Exception criteria states: “Disability and reasonable adjustments which would enable the employee to return to work have not yet been considered or made”. Differing interpretations of that criteria, specifically when dealing with the first recognition of a disability, or an illness that has resulted in a disability, cause issues for PCS representatives handling such cases.

Conference notes that some managers take the view that no amount of adjustments in work could have been made prior to the illness and resulting disability that would have prevented the absence from occurring and subsequently exceeding any adjusted triggers. This interpretation has prevented the application of an exception which should have been used as the starting point for making reasonable adjustments in triggers, working environment, policy and equipment that would assist in lowering absence levels. Conference remembers that the latter interpretation is how the issue was handled until changes to the policy wording some years ago created dubiety which has led in many cases to only the consideration of discretion rather than an exception and in some cases to a warning being issued.

Conference agrees that there is a need to eliminate incorrect and discriminatory interpretations of the current wording which would reduce time spent unnecessarily on such cases as they will be more straightforward and result in fairer outcomes for members. As such, the Group Executive Committee are instructed to seek changes to the exception wording in the policy and/or for the addition of clear guidance on assessing exceptions for new or first time illnesses and absences that result in a disability.

Proposed by Home Office Merseyside Branch Executive Committee

*This motion was submitted last year but as the conference was cancelled due to COVID-19 they have been brought back to the AGM.

Motion 3 (Fair Recruitment) Carried

That this Home Office Group Conference notes that the Home Office self-promotes on a platform of being a family-friendly employer. However, members are experiencing the opposite.

Conference also notes that often when a post is advertised there will often be a caveat that the applicant must be willing to work 5 days, Monday to Friday, which immediately deters a large proportion of potential staff, primarily women, who are carers more likely to have young children and some of whom cannot rely on family for support nor can afford to put young children into childcare 5 days per week. The same women might have devoted their entire career to the department but in this way are prevented from progressing. Conference is aware that there is often a disclaimer in the small print suggesting that flexible working requests will be considered but the application and interview process is stressful enough and many people hesitate to put themselves through it in the knowledge that even if they’re successful, the working pattern that they need might be rejected.

Conference recognises that civil servants have been subjected to a combination of pay freezes or below inflation increases since 2010 so for many the only avenue to improve their remuneration is to consider applying for posts on promotion.

This Conference instructs the Group Executive Committee (GEC) to request data from the Home Office to establish how many of those recruited in 2019 and 2020 whether internally or externally, permanent or temporary, were placed directly into posts as part-time or part-year appointments. Should the figures be significantly out of step with the proportion of part-time or part-year workers across the department, or they are disproportionate when comparing directorates across the Home Office, the GEC are further instructed to seek talks with the department with a view to ensuring that the recruitment process is more fair and encourages more women and carers to apply for positions.

Proposed by Home Office Merseyside Branch Executive Committee

Motion 4 (Flexible Working Requests) Carried

That this Home Office Group Conference notes that an increasing number of flexible working requests over the past 12 months have been unreasonably rejected which, in the worst cases, have led to members having to resign their posts. The Home Office claims to be a family-friendly employer but the experience of many members suggests otherwise

This conference is aware that reasons given for refusal of many requests are staff shortages, leavers not being replaced or no further recruitment planned in the short term. It is rare that the consideration of a flexible working request will involve looking at swapping staff across business areas to help accommodate those submitting the requests. This conference does not believe it to be acceptable that considerations of such requests don’t embrace the wider business and whether the request can be accommodated elsewhere in the department.

This conference instructs the Group Executive Committee (GEC) to obtain data from the department of how many flexible working requests were made by staff in 2019 and 2020, how many of that total were rejected, and the reasons given. Should the number of refusals across the department or within directorates be considered unacceptable the GEC are further instructed to seek talks with the department to consider ways in which the process can be improved so that more requests are granted so helping with caring responsibilities and preventing members from having to resign their posts.

Proposed by Home Office Merseyside Branch Executive Committee

Motions relating to the national union

Motion 5 (National rules change)* Carried

That this Annual Delegate Conference instructs the National Executive Committee to delete standing orders A35 and A36 of Appendix A of the PCS Rules and to renumber the subsequent standing orders accordingly.

Proposed by Home Office Merseyside Branch Executive Committee

Motion 6 (National rules change)* Carried

That this Annual Delegate Conference instructs the National Executive Committee to delete Appendix B of the PCS Rules and to renumber the subsequent appendices accordingly.

Proposed by Home Office Merseyside Branch Executive Committee

*These motions were submitted last year but as the conference was cancelled due to COVID-19 they have been brought back to the AGM.