What you, as a member, can expect from us

What you, as a member, need to do to ensure that we can successfully represent you

1.  Contact us as soon as a problem arises; this is imperative. The later you leave it  the more difficult it may be and the less we can do to help you.

2.  Contact your workplace Assistant Secretary for Abbey Wood, Corsham, Gloucester,  Swindon or Yeovilton including for sub-sites of these workplaces. If this post is vacant           or you cannot otherwise reach them, contact the Branch Secretary.  Contact details in the workplace (union noticeboards etc). These reps can arrange allocation of your                  case to a suitable local rep. Always provide your Membership Number.                

3.  Include all information relevant to the situation.  If management refer to something we are unaware of, it could undermine your case and make it very difficult to help.

4.  Try and find the policy relevant to your situation - see MoD Policy Rules and Guidance (internal MoD intranet) and the DBS People Portal (internal  MoD intranet). This will           help PCS in discussing how to best support you and to inform you on what your options are. 

5.  Keep hard copies of all documentation relating to the situation (emails, letters, requests etc). If there is any lack of clarity or there have been verbal instructions or                               references made, email the person concerned asking them to confirm what was said and keep a print of these emails.

6.  We always recommend  that you create and maintain a diary of events relating to your issue. Include where and when any conversations were held, and brief record of what         was said. Log emails received, recording date and time stamp. The more detail you keep the better. This will be a significant aid to a successful outcome.

7.  Draw up a brief time line of events, putting your documents into chronological order to match, this will help your Rep make sense of the situation.

8.  Ensure your rep has at least five working days’ notice of any meetings or hearings - longer if possible. Meetings may have to be re-arranged if reps do not have availability             and we generally only get offered one alternative date.

9.  Keep in touch with your rep, ideally via email. Make sure your ‘phone number is included on all correspondence, so it’s easy for us to call you. If you need to talk to your rep, email them and arrange a mutually acceptable time to speak or meet (reps will not discuss personal cases in office, and may need to use a TU room or other private location).

10.  After you have received representation, we encourage members to ‘pay it forward’ by taking a more active role in PCS, either as an Advocate  (see link below) or as a PCS rep. Talk to any PCS rep, local or national about this. Help the union to help all our members.

PCS Advocates can do as much or as little as they want to help the union.  This can be a very rewarding role and will give you an insight into how PCS operates as a trade union. See details here: PCS Advocates Page