Personal Cases

Members often need individual assistance from PCS with work-related matters. In union-speak this is known as a “personal case”. This report gives members some insight into the number and variety of cases handled by your branch reps in 2019.

PCS Home Office Merseyside Branch provides advice on how to contact us if you need advice or representation and what do to if there are problems with your reps getting facility time to represent you. The advice is for members, reps and managers. Please familiarise yourself with this guidance.

Our online system for members who need representation was introduced by PCS Home Office Merseyside Branch in 2016. In the 4 years since its' introduction the branch has received 764 requests for assistance with 2019 being the busiest year on record with 296 cases.

The increase in cases has come at a time of ongoing churn amongst your branch reps with nearly 20 having left the department, moved on to other roles or stepped down from their posts altogether in the last 2 years. As a consequence the volume of personal cases have had the effect of reducing the ability of the branch to concentrate efforts in other areas such as collective bargaining while we have waited for new volunteers to complete training courses and build their knowledge and experience. Given the turnover of reps it is remarkable that the branch had no unfilled posts going into the 2020 AGM and it is a credit to branch members who continue to come forward to support members and represent the interests of their colleagues.

To give members a flavour of the range of requests for assistance that your local reps have received, the end of year statistics reported to Branch Executive Committee for 2019 are reproduced below.

The Branch Executive Committee will be reviewing the cases over the last 12 months to identify any specific issues or "hotspots" from 2019 to establish whether there are issues that need to be raised with management locally that may mitigate in future the number and nature of cases arising.

Derek Mellor (Branch Organiser)