Public and Commercial Services Union

Branches have received regular updates regarding the creation of the UK Border Agency, including appraisals of the state of play in negotiations and the organisational issues for the union.

The new agency will come into force in the near future and work on the major industrial issues such as integrated ways of working is now intensifying. The group executive committees are continuing to engage with the employer through the auspices of the UKBA negotiating committee.

Conference 2009

Branches will recall that last year, the motions related to UKBA were transferred from group conference agendas to the national conference agenda in light of the impropriety of groups making policy on issues that affect members in other groups.

In the event, there was general unity around a composite motion on UKBA at national conference (see Annex A), the terms of which have proved impossible to fulfil due to the employer’s slipping timetable. Nevertheless, the broad aims of the motion still require progression.

This year, we will face a similar dilemma in relation to group conference motions on UKBA.

Whilst groups are unable to make policy on issues that affect members in other groups, the national executive committee are anxious to ensure that Branches submitting motions on UKBA issues are afforded the opportunity to have them debated.

It is also vital that we provide branches with some facility to debate the motions this year given that the creation of the agency is now imminent and the key industrial questions are now coming to the fore.

Policy forum

To enable UKBA motions to be debated, the NEC has given approval for a Policy Forum to take place in July 2009 at which the motions from the relevant group conferences can be debated.

Mechanism and terms of reference

As this is a policy forum and not a conference, the normal notice period for calling AGMs/SGMs will not apply. Similarly, AGMs, motions, timetabling, reference backs and emergency motions are not subject to the normal provisions as laid down in PCS supplementary rules appendix A.

The mechanism and terms of reference for its operation shall be as follows:

Mechanism

• Policy forum chaired jointly by the PCS Home Office and Revenue and Customs group presidents
• Only branches containing members transferring to UKBA are entitled to attend and submit motions to the Forum
• For Home Office branches, delegate representation to be on the same basis as rule 6.13 of the PCS national rules. For Revenue and Customs Branches, delegate representation to be on the same basis as Rule 6.13 of the PCS national rules with the caveat that the number of members counted for this purpose are only those transferring to UKBA. Delegates to be determined by branches and do not need to be restricted to those transferring personally to UKBA. Delegations to have a card vote equal to the number of members in their branch transferring to UKBA. Membership figures to be determined by reference to Commix and branch records as at 31/05/09.
• Standing orders to be recommended by the PCS National Standing Orders Committee
• A motion will only be carried at the policy forum if it has support from the majority of delegates in each of the PCS Home Office and Revenue and Customs Groups.
• GECs are not expected to have a position on motions to the Forum and will not be required to provide speakers for motions on the GEC attitudes to them. Attendance by GEC members at the forum will be limited to 5 members from each GEC and their remit will be to move motions standing in the name of their GEC. GECs to determine their nominees in advance of the forum.

Terms of reference

This PCS UKBA policy forum will have an opportunity to consider all motions relating to UKBA from 2009 PCS Home Office, Revenue and Customs group conferences and national conference, such motions as may be tabled for debate by the PCS Home Office and Revenue and Customs GECs and PCS Home Office and Revenue and Customs branches.

Motions carried at this policy forum will be considered instructions to the PCS UKBA negotiating committee.

The timetable for this policy forum shall be as follows:

• 1 June 2009: Formal notification of policy forum, call for motions and delegates details and notification of relevant deadlines issued to Branches and GECs
• 1 June 2009: delegate and card vote entitlements issued to branches
• 19 June 2009: Cut off date for querying delegate and card vote entitlements
• 24 June 2009: Closing date for receipt of motions
• Week Commencing 29 June 2009 NSOC meets
• 6 July 2009: First Report of the SOC issued
• 17 July 2009:Closing date for reference back and receipt of emergency motions
• 21 July 2009: Reference back
• 21-22 July 2009: Policy forum held

Enabling motions – group conferences

In order to provide for the transfer of the UKBA motions from group conferences to the policy forum, the NEC has asked the relevant group executive committees to table an enabling emergency motion to each of their group conferences.

Previous experience of policy forums

PCS has previous experience of establishing policy forums to deal with situations such as this one. The creation of HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions are examples of this.

Our experience shows that these fora provide a successful platform for managing the difficulties created by Machinery of Government changes and provide branches with the opportunity to formulate policy in order to progress the members’ agenda.

This approach facilitates consensus and avoids the need for the national president to exercise her powers under Rule A36, thereby ensuring that motions that would otherwise remain undebated be heard at the policy forum.

Further Information

A further Branch Briefing will follow after the close of the 2009 PCS Annual Delegate Conference which will contain the notification of Policy Forum, a call for motions and delegates details and notification of relevant deadlines. Please look out for the briefing.