Elections and Nominations

The following Wigan Area Branch Officers were elected (number of posts available are in brackets) :


Branch Chair (1)          
Toni Matthews (elected unopposed)

Branch Vice- Chair (1)
Chris Holmes (elected unopposed)  
      
Branch Secretary (1)
Steve Finch (elected unopposed)

Branch Treasurer (1)
Kath Shelley (elected unopposed)

Branch Young Members (1)
Andrew Jones (elected unopposed)

Branch Assistant Secretary (2)
Simon Dalfen (elected unopposed)
Helen Flanagan (elected unopposed)

Branch Organiser
Graham Thompson (elected unopposed)

Branch Union Learning
Carol Worthington (elected unopposed)

Branch Health & Safety Officer
Lorraine Birkett(elected unopposed)

Branch Equality Officer
Simon Dalfen (elected unopposed)

Branch Women’s Officer
Toni Matthews (elected unopposed)Branch Auditors (2)
Jason & Debbie Twist (elected unopposed)
 
Branch Officer positions were proposed by :

Steve Finch , Chris Holmes, Toni Matthews, Andrew Jones and Simon Dalfen.
 
Delegates to DWP Group Conference (3)

Jane Jones (elected unopposed)
Steve Finch (elected unopposed)
Toni Matthews (elected unopposed)
 
Delegates to PCS National Conference (3)

Toni Matthews (elected unopposed)
Simon Dalfen (elected unopposed)
Steve Finch (elected unopposed)
Lorraine Birkett (reserve)

Trainee Delegate to PCS National Conference : Jane Jones

Delegates to PCS conferences were proposed by Steve Finch, Jane Jones, Toni Matthews and Simon Dalfen.

The following nominations were received :

DWP Group Executive Committee (GEC)

List A - nominated by Helen Flanagan

DWP GEC

President: Fran Heathcote
Vice President : Martin Cavanagh, Helen Flanagan, Adam Khalif, Katrine Williams
Assistant Secretary : Ian Bartholomew, Dave Burke, Chris Cuthbert, Martin Foreman, Sam Hall, Mark Page, Steve Swainston   Organiser: Derek Thomson     Treasurer: Bashir Chilwan     Journal editor: Tony Church
Group Executive Committee : Janice Godrich, Angela Grant, Sharon Green, Glen Hatwood, Kevin McCafferty, Marie McDonough, John McInally, Dave Owens, Ian Pope, Carol Revell, Annette Rochester, Sian Ruddick, Dave Semple, Ian Wilkinson, Aidan Armitage, Brian Nairn,  Rachael Watts

List B - nominated by Simon Dalfen

Group Equality Advisory Committee (14)
Simon Dalfen

National Executive Committee (NEC)

List A - nominated by Helen Flanagan

Assistant General Secretary (1) : Chris Baugh
President (1) : Godrich Janice - DWP Glasgow

Deputy President / Vice-President (4) : Bond Sue – EHRC , Brown Paula – HSE National Branch, McHugh Kevin - HMRC Benton Park View , McInally John - DWP Avon

National Executive Committee Member (30)
Albert Ian – DWP HQ London, Baker Mark –DCLG Bristol & South West, Bryant Clive – HMRC
Worthing , Dennis Alan – MOD DSg Portsmouth Area, Derbyshire Mike – MoJ Wessex, Douglas Richard - NAO , Dunne Lawrence – HO/CRB  , Ferguson Mary – DWP Tyneview Park, Flanagan Helen –  DWP Wigan, Gedling Cheryl – Scottish Government, Green Jackie – MOJ Bradford, Hall Sam – DWP Highlands & Islands, Haven Elenor – Land Registry Croydon , Heathcote Fran – DWP Northumbria, Hickey Declan – MOJ Headquarters , Holbourne Zita - ACAS National, Jamieson John – Registers of Scotland, Khalif Adam – DWP DWP HQ (London), Leopard Mark – HMRC R&C London HQ,  License Neil – HMRC Yorkshire & North Lincs , Lloyd Marion – BIS Sheffield , McFadden Dominic – HMRC Intelligence & Investigation, Merry Lorna – HMRC Bucks & Oxon, Morrison Chris – Com Sec Telford Aspire, Paillard Clara – CMSOA National Museum Liverpool , Pope Ian – DWP Glasgow , Thomson Derek – DWP Glasgow Benefits Centre, Watts Karen – MOJ Wessex, Wesley Hector – HMRC Euston Tower


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Motions Received

Branch Motions (to agree branch policy for the coming year)
 
PCS Credit Union

Pay freezes, increased pension contributions, profiteering by energy companies and the general cost of living increases are making it increasingly difficult for PCS members to make ends meet.  PCS credit union (owned and run by members) is an ethical alternative to the main high street banks and an affordable alternative to the extortionate payday loan companies that have sprung up in recent years.

This Branch Committee should actively promote membership of the Credit Union by whatever means suitable.

Proposed by Ann-Marie Campbell .  Seconded by Simon Dalfen .

Group Motions (to be submitted to 2014 PCS DWP Group Conference)

None received
 
National Motions (to be submitted to 2014 PCS National Conference)

The unilateral decision by the NEC to abolish PCS diaries without prior notice for 2014 came as a shock to many members and is undemocratic .  The alternative provision of an electronic diary is not sufficient .
While appreciating the cost involved there must be alternatives ; members could be contacted by email to confirm if they want to receive a diary and these could be distributed via regional offices to branches to forward to their members ,this would avoid excessive postal costs from the newly privatised Royal Mail.
Sponsorship could be sought from any one of PCS’s ethical partners this would drive down the cost of production.
Conference instructs the NEC to investigate all avenues in regard to this and to reintroduce PCS diaries at the earliest possible time.

Proposed by Lynn Burton .  Seconded by Simon Dalfen
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PCS DWP WIGAN BRANCH AGM Agenda

Wednesday 26th February 2014, The Orwell, Wigan Pier.

2.00 – 2.05        Opening Remarks, Minutes of the 2013 AGM, Election of Scrutineers
 
2.05 – 2.15        Annual Report and Financial Report
 
2.15 – 2.25        Election Results:
1) Branch Officers
2) Delegates to Group and National Conference
3) Election of Branch Auditors
 
2.25 - 2.45       Open forum
 
2.45- 2.50        Presentation of PCS Gold Badges for distinguished members
 
BREAK
 
2.55-3.05          Branch nominations for:
                           1) DWP Group Executive Committee (2 lists)
National Executive Committee (1 list)
 
3.05 – 3.15        Motions to: -  
Branch, DWP Group Conference, PCS National Conference
 
3.15 – 3.20        AOB (to be notified to Chair prior to the start of meeting)
 
3.20 – 3.30        Open Forum
 
3.30                    Close of Meeting

(All timings subject to change )


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Work your proper hours day - 28th Feb

Work Your Proper Hours Day (28 February) is the day when the average person who does unpaid overtime finishes the unpaid days they do every year, and starts earning for themselves.

Many of us work far longer than the hours set out in our contract. And if you’ve got a rewarding job, when there’s a crisis that may be fair enough. But your extra work should never be taken for granted. That way you end up doing a little more each week until the stress and fatigue starts to count, and you find you’re giving up too much of your personal life.

Last year, one in five employees across the UK regularly worked unpaid overtime, worth over £28 billion to the economy. If you're one of these employees, why not take some time to reflect on how well (or badly) you're balancing your life? 

Long hours are not good for us; they cause stress; they're bad for our health; they wreck relationships; they make caring for children or dependents more difficult; and tired, burnt-out staff are bad for business.

Use the unpaid overtime calculator and work-life balance check and then email your results to editor@pcs.org.uk

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Interesting to read this today

The Coalition has spent the last two years desperately and very publically trying to get our finances in order. We've had an "austerity" budget. We've had tax hikes. We've had "the cuts".

But for all that, our national debt is still growing at an incredible rate.

Despite David Cameron's talk of "austerity", he's going to add an estimated £700 billion to the national debt in just five years. That's more than Tony Blair and Gordon Brown added to the national debt in eleven years. It's more than every British government of the past 100 years put together.


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Workers plan march against zero hours

WIGAN workers who walked out over zero-hours contracts now plan to show their support for colleagues in the fast food industry.

Members of the Bakery Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) will march through the town centre on Saturday as part of a national day of action to highlight workers’ rights issues.

The BFAWU campaigned last year about the use of zero-hours contracts at the Hovis bakery at New Springs.

Wigan representative Andy Moorhouse said: “Zero-hours contracts are still in use across the fast food industry and we want to let workers know there are support networks out there.

“In particular, young workers who may be doing their shifts without breaks, we want to highlight that they have rights. Young people on short-term contracts may think they should not speak out because they could be targeted. We want these people to know they’re not on their own.”

Following last year’s strikes, Hovis owner Premier Foods agreed to only allow the use of short-term contracted staff when “temporary labour shortages” could not be covered by “existing employees utilising overtime and banked hours.” Union leaders hailed the resolution as an historic agreement that should “be used as a starting point for all UK workers.”

The town centre march to distribute leaflets is part of the Hungry for Justice campaign for fast food industry staff.

BFAWU national president Ian Hodson said: “This campaign is about bringing to an end the heinous zero hours contracts in operation across the industry. It is about people receiving pay that they can live on, it is about fighting for a pay rise for workers. We are talking about hugely profitable companies - they can afford to pay their workers a decent wage.”

The march starts from the bottom of Standishgate and heads toward the town centre at 1pm on Saturday.

Social security 'manifestly inadequate'

Is our social security system too generous? Far from it, it is in fact "manifestly inadequate".

This damning conclusion is in a report published today (pdf) into levels of incapacity benefits, jobseeker's allowance and the state pension.

The finding by the European committee of social rights, charged with upholding the European social charter, ought to be difficult for our government to ignore. The UK is a signatory to the charter after first ratifying it in 1962.

The committee studied the period between January 2008 and December 2011, noting further changes had been made since then.

Ministers have sought to justify massive cuts to social security by peddling the myth that people are choosing a life on benefits.

We are still waiting for work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith to prove that anyone can be better off on benefits than in work.

The latest ludicrous claim from politicians and sections of the media is that migrants are coming here just to claim social security. Something, again, not borne out by the facts.

Our general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "This damning indictment of the UK's appallingly low levels of social security, even before the most recent cuts, exposes the shameful way the unemployed, sick and disabled are treated.

"It ought to nail the lie once and for all that anyone chooses a life on benefits or comes here from another country just to claim them."

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