Public and Commercial Services Union

The steering committee of the SRGS held a two day meeting to plan a strategy to re-launch the Section with a primary focus on campaigning and organising while building links with group structures to ensure democratic accountability.

In a set of wide ranging discussions the Steering Group laid out a set of proposals to take the next steps in re-launching the Section.

Set out below is a résumé of the major discussions and proposals across a set of topics.

Constitution

The new SRGS constitution which was unanimously endorsed by a previous meeting of the Steering Group was looked at in detail with a view to reaching a practical method of ensuring it works.

It is clear that the breakdown between support grades members and the PCS group structure is almost total. The future success of the SRGS depends on rebuilding these links.

1. Support Grade members need to be made aware of which group they belong to.
2. Groups need to be made aware of their Support Grade members and encouraged to set up SRG Advisory Committees.
3. The mapping exercise needs the information gained to be disseminated to groups.
4. A group and branch briefing outlining how the SRGS Constitution will operate in real terms needs to be issued.
5. PCS Group Executives are very busy with organising and campaigning so individual Support Grades members who are interested in becoming active need to approach their branches and groups, beginning a two-way process of building links.

Communication strategy

The SRGS steering group received a report of a meeting with Tom Grinyer and the campaigns unit on the broad principles of a communication strategy. This will be a major task in re-launching a viable SRGS.

The steering group agreed the following principles:

1. The strategy must be multi-focused using both electronic and paper based communications.
2. The establishment of an SRGS magazine based on 8 to 16 pages of A5 – issued 3- 4 times a year.
3. The establishment of an SRGS website containing basic information and interactive in allowing Support Grade members to log their email addresses for future communications. Once established the website must be kept updated.
4. The editor of View to be approached to see if it is feasible for View to carry an SRGS page twice a year.
5. SRGS to issue branch briefings on a regular basis on SRG issues.
6. The communication strategy also has a part to play in mapping and organising dedicated Support Grade recruitment literature, posters and contact with branch, group and regional organisers to highlight that SRG issues are important factors.
7. We also need to establish how our Support Grade members would prefer to be contacted.
8. The communication strategy at one level is dependent on the success of the mapping exercise.

The role of SRGS

The constitution defines the broad role of the SRGS Executive. It was however felt important to flesh out what this meant in practical terms.

The principle roles were agreed to be:

1. To promote and protect Support Grade members
2. To ensure that membership density in Support Grades is improved to the best achievable level.
3. To ensure that the current mapping exercise is completed and constantly updated.
4. The SRGS Executive should also play a major role in dealing with Support Grade members’ personal cases in areas where such representation cannot be carried out by branches for whatever reason.
5. The SRGS should also cross reference Support Grades’ pay, terms and conditions and promote best practice.
6. The SRGS should also play a liaison role between members, branches and the NEC.
7. A key role of the SRGS Executive will be communication with Support Grade members.
8. SRGS also has a role to play in obtaining recognition and facility time for our Support Grade members.
9. Liaison with the Commercial Sector to provide opposition to future privatisation and outsourcing and ensuring that members whose jobs are privatised receive ongoing support from PCS and that structures to deliver this are in place at the point of privatisation.

Organising and campaigning

Support Grade members are very often split into small, isolated groups and it is difficult to identify and communicate with them. The SRGS executive need to make campaigns relevant to these members and involve them.

The mapping exercise will underpin and inform the organising and campaigning action of the section.

Organising is a dedicated officer role in the new SRGS constitution. This however will not be sufficient given the size of the task to be undertaken. The steering group therefore proposed that a sub-committee be set up to take the lead on organising and campaigning.

SRGS executive committee

The steering group is convinced that the SRGS executive cannot be a “talking shop” but must be actively delivering for members.

The officer roles are delineated in the constitution. The steering group however wish to take this further (without creating extra officer roles) by giving each member of the executive a portfolio of responsibility.

The steering group therefore proposes that the eight Executive posts (non-officers) are given the following responsibilities:

1. Diversity and Equality
2. Communication co-ordinator
3. Personal Case Co-ordinator
4. Training and Development
5. Campaigns Co-ordinator
6. Privatisation & Outsourcing
7. Health & Safety Co-ordinator
8. ULR Co-ordinator

Next steps for SRGS

Many of the practical steps required in re-launching the SRGS in a positive way are outlined above.

In pragmatic terms we need to keep the initiative moving forward and the enthusiasm of those involved at a high level.

The steering group therefore recommends the following steps are taken during the course of 2008:

1. That a branch briefing outlining the re-launch of the SRGS is issued.
2. That the mapping exercise is continued
3. That the SRGS Steering Group is provided with personal case training specific to issues relating to Support Grades
4. That an SRGS website is established as soon as possible.
5. That a revamped SRGS magazine is issued
6. That a Support Grades Conference is held in November 2008 to facilitate the election of the SRGS officers and Executive.
7. To achieve an SRGS Conference in 2008 the Constitution will require a temporary suspension of Group Conferences electing SRGS Conference delegates. The Steering Group suggests that for one year only Group Executive Committees nominate SRGS Conference delegates.
8. That urgent work is carried out on identifying the number of Support Grade members in each group and on this basis groups are informed of their delegate entitlements.
9. Once Conference elects and Executive, including a Treasurer, a realistic budget bid for running the Section in 2009 will need to be constructed.
10. That links and input into the Commercial Sector Review Group are undertaken.