2024 PCS Home Office Merseyside Branch Annual General Meeting

The AGM was held on Tuesday 5th March at 12pm using MS Teams.

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

2. Adoption of the agenda

3. Apologies

4. Appointment of tellers

5. AGM 2023 Record of decisions

6. Branch Annual Report (Click here)

7. Branch nominations (See below)

8. Home Office Group nominations (See below)

9. PCS National nominations (See below)

10. Motions for debate (See below)

11. Any other business

Branch Officers

President - Karen Bolger

Vice President - Kris Rowe

Secretary - Phil Mount

Assistant Secretary – Jacqueline Hughes

Organiser – Mark Spencer-Scragg

Assistant Organiser – Vacant

Treasurer – Vacant

 all elected unopposed

Branch Executive Committee members (15)

Dean Barron

Chris Smith

Clare Kay

Phil Brightmore

Appi Kovoory

Andrew Nixon

Liz Robinson

Simon Porter

Julie Coughlin

Andrew Mabbs

Martin Snape

Emma Mooney

Chris Helm

Sophie Ford

Paul Jobson

Brian White

Ben Ramsdale

Kieron Worsell

Lindsay Melia

all elected unopposed

*You will note we have vacancies for Treasurer and Assistant Organiser but we are 4 ordinary Committee Members over the 15 our constitution stipulates. The PCS Home Office Group President has agreed we can run over and as such we won’t hold elections and everyone will be elected unopposed to the branch positions. However we will need 2 from the above number to step forward to fill the Officer vacancies. 

Auditors (2 posts)

(2 vacancies)

PCS Home Office Group Conference Delegates (5)

1. Karen Bolger

2. Paul Jobson

3. Chris Helm

4. Kris Rowe

5. Vacant

PCS National Conference Delegates (5)

1. Andrew Mabbs

2. Kris Rowe

3. Vacant

4. Vacant

5. Vacant

All elected unopposed

PCS Home Office Group Nominations

Properly-received nominations for Home Office Group posts

President

James Cox (Croydon)

Assistant Group Secretary

Karen Alderson (HMPO Northern)

Rebecca Hunter (DBS)

Jordan David (DBS)

Group Executive Committee members

Jacqueline Halsall-Hughes (Merseyside)

Malcolm Speechley (Peterborough)

Phil Mount (Merseyside)

Simon Porter (Merseyside)

Mark Spencer-Scragg (Merseyside)

Andy Mabbs (Merseysude)

Paul Jobson (Merseyside)

Zac Vallely (London)

all agreed

Motions relating to issues in the Home Office

Motion 1 (Attendance Management policy review) - carried

Conference notes that although the department agreed to review the attendance management policy in the Home Office roughly 2 years ago, and therefore branches have tended to refrain from putting motions through to conference with their ongoing issues with the sickness policy,  on the basis that issues could be incorporated into the review when any new policy is discussed with the GEC,  it’s  considered it’s now time we put more pressure on the department to move forward with the review and be given an outline of what any new policy considerations are being given to it.

Sickness absence is still the biggest issue that faces our branch in terms of the effect on members and amount of time spent on personal cases given the fact managers still mis interpret the current policies and procedures.

It’s clear to the Home Office Merseyside Branch in our dealings with managers at sickness hearings that managers default position is to contact HR even in the most straightforward of cases for advice, this clearly shows managers have no confidence in their own decision making and ability to apply policy, and /or they receive pressure from above to veer towards detrimental outcomes to our members. 

Conference therefore instructs the GEC to:

•       Approach Departmental HR leads for a defining time frame for completion of the review and clarification the review has actually been started and where it is up to.

•       Request early sight of any proposals being considered and report back to branches for feedback if needed.

•       Insist on clear detailed unambiguous instructions with examples to be included within the policy to avoid managers misinterpreting instructions/policy.

•       Address the necessity of a culture change with management that will be required with any new attendance management policy being implemented with adequate training and support provided.

Motions relating to the national union

Motion 2 - carried

133 days

Since 07/10/2023 it is reported that over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed. Of the 30,000, at least

15,000 of these are children. Imagine Wimbledon, Centre Court at full capacity. This is how many

children have been indiscriminately massacred.

According to Al Jazeera, 126 journalists have been killed and 10 arrested. The attacks on journalists

reporting on the humanitarian disaster in Gaza are consistent and systematic.

Hospitals and ambulances have been targeted by Israel. The UN have reported around 350 health

care workers have been killed. This is more than the total number of health care worker deaths

recorded across all countries in conflict in any single year since 2016.

Before 07/10 there were 36 functioning hospitals in Gaza. As of 13/02/2024, there are only 11

partially functioning. There are over 100,000 injured in Gaza. Hospital capacity is 1400.

The atrocities on 07/10 were horrendous, and PCS condemns these attacks. Israels response to

inflict Genocide on the people of Palestine however is utterly disproportionate.

Before the 07/10, there were around 1.2 million refugees in Gaza. Made refugees by the illegal

Israeli occupation. They are now being further subject to collective punishment by Israel.

The interim findings of the ICJ quoted statements made by senior Israeli officials as evidence of

genocidal intent. Statements include on 09/10/2023 Defence Minister of Israel announced that he

had ordered a “complete siege of Gaza City” and that there would be “no electricity, no food, no

fuel” and that “everything (was) closed”. The following, speaking to troops on the Israeli border he

stated “You saw what we are fighting against… Gaza won’t return to what it was before. There will

be no Hamas. We will eliminate everything…. We will reach all places”. On 13/10/2023, the then

Minister of of Energy and Infrastructure of Israel stated “We will fight the terrorist organisation

Hamas and destroy it. All civilian population in Gaza is ordered to leave immediately. We will win.

They will not receive a drop of water or single battery until they leave the world”.

The ICJ’s interim findings are that there is a plausible case of genocide.

As Trade Unionists, we must fight injustice. We must be the voice of those without one. This is the

purpose of our existence. We must not close our eyes. We must stand shoulder to shoulder with the

Palestinian people.

We instruct the NEC to do the following.

We call on the NEC to mobilise for future mass protests opposing the war on Gaza.

We note the employer has threatened members rights to freedom of expression by warnings of

potential disciplinary action for social media posts in support of Palestine. We instruct the NEC to

oppose attacks on our civil liberties and support members effected with legal action.

We instruct the NEC to continue to lobby and put pressure on MP’s to call for ceasefire in Gaza, an

end to the illegal occupation and support the mass struggle by the Palestinians for self

determination and their own viable state.

Motion 3 - carried

Conference notes the murderous assault against the people of Gaza, causing thousands of deaths, almost two million displaced from their homes and lack of access to basic medical supplies, food and shelter.

This has brought millions onto the streets around the world to demand peace, a ceasefire and an end to the oppression of Palestinians. Despite the majority of the UK public being in favour of a ceasefire, both the Tories and Labour have given a green light to the actions of the Israeli government

We need to look at root causes of the conflict, stand against ongoing occupation and repression of Palestinians and fight for liberation and genuine peace. Even before the invasion of Gaza, 2023 was the deadliest for Palestinians in the West Bank. Administrative detention, harassment from settlers and expulsion from their homes is the norm - led by the Israeli government and backed up by Israeli police and military.

We support Palestinian trade unions (including in the public sector) urging workers around the world to show solidarity and stop the war machine.

We oppose all attempts to clamp down on the Palestine solidarity movement, the right to protest and discuss this issue. Solidarity with Palestinian liberation does not equate to support for Hamas, violence against Israeli civilians or abuse of Jewish people in the UK. We strongly oppose anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and all forms of racism.

Within Israel, Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship face ongoing repression. Arab-Palestinian students and Israeli-Jewish activists have faced witch hunts from universities, anti-war protests have been repressed and workers in schools and hospitals have faced victimisation.

Ultimately, the ruling establishment of Israel, and the surrounding states in the Middle East, have no desire for, or path to peace. They help perpetuate the continuing violence. We support a movement of ordinary Palestinians and Israelis workers, democratically organised, on both sides of the national divide, and of the masses across the region to challenge the capitalist system that maintains this nightmare; to fight for an end to the occupation, siege and all oppression and exploitation and in support of equality, rights, genuine peace and security for all.

Conference resolves to:

1.     Continue to publicise, and call on members to join, protests in solidarity with the Palestinian people, against the war, occupation, siege of Gaza and further escalation.

2.     Support the Palestinian trade union demand for the UK government to stop all military trade with Israel.

3.     Oppose attempts to clamp down on the right to protest. Fight against any attempt to victimise members in workplaces who speak up against war and stand in solidarity with those victimised in other sectors.

4.     Seek to deepen and strengthen links with unions and campaigns in Palestine/Israel who stand against the occupation and to support workers’ struggle on both sides of the Green Line.

5.     Maintain and build links with independent trade unions and workers’ organisations across the Middle East. Only active international working-class solidarity will be able to fend off threats of new wars and massacres across the region.

Motion 4 - carried

Conference notes the outpouring of grief following the murder of trans teenager Brianna Ghey, with thousands of people attending vigils and that the people who violently murdered her have been found guilty. Proposals outlined in the Tory guidance for schools would make life harder for trans and non-binary school students, and that spokespeople for the Labour Party have given their backing to this guidance.

Following the passing of the Gender Recognition Reform Bill by the Scottish Parliament and the subsequent blocking using Section 35 by the United Kingdom government, the Court of Session sided with the decision of the UK government. We believe this is a further attack on trans people and an attempt to undermine the democratic rights of people in Scotland, it is an attack on the right to self-determination.

In the context of a looming General Election, we will not allow trans and LGBT+ people to be used for point scoring by reactionary politicians from any political party or organisation. Political attacks on trans people are part of attempts to whip up so-called ‘culture wars’ and to divide working class people and our union has a duty to build unity and stand by our trans members and the wider community.

The 2023 leaked Cabinet Office guidance on trans and non-binary rights would have led to the harassment of trans and non-binary people, but also gender non-conforming cis women including many lesbian and bi+ members. We recognise that the rights of trans people do not conflict with the rights of other oppressed sections of society. PCS needs to play our part in a mass, united, working class movement that stands for equality, liberation, high quality public services and against all forms of oppression and discrimination.

The NEC is instructed

-       To oppose any guidance on trans and non-binary workers which would marginalise these workers and ensure representatives from PCS Proud are involved in consultation on future Cabinet Office guidance and policies impacting LGBT+ workers

-       To support our members in taking necessary industrial and legal action when confronted with any new anti-trans guidance

-       To fight against gender based violence and divide and rule policies wherever they emanate from, and to support protests on November 25 - the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

-       To mobilise our union to support the struggle for trans rights at protests and demonstrations