Public and Commercial Services Union

Organising meetings is one the key things you will have to do as a PCS activist. Follow these guidelines for managing a meeting effectively.

United front

Decide who will lead on each of the union’s main points. Disagreeing in front of management will show lack of preparation and weaken your case.

Notes

It’s important that someone on the union side keeps notes of the meeting. This will be particularly useful if management aims to go back on or deny any decisions reached.

Adjournments

If there is any danger of a split in the PCS side or new arguments you were not expecting come up, ask for an adjournment. You can also use this to consider any new offer from management.

Keep control of the discussion

Keep the discussion to your best arguments. Ask management questions and get them to justify their position. Keep the emphasis on your problems, complaints and grievances. Object if you get evasive answers, and ask for facts if vague statements or accusations are made.

Getting a settlement

• Keep your overall aims in mind - be careful you don’t go below your fallback position.
• Look carefully at what management offers - things will often be phrased in a guarded way. If this is the case ask for clarification on what is being offered.
• Be prepared to give and take. It’s easier to get a settlement if both sides feel they have achieved something in negotiations. This may mean giving some ground while getting agreement on priority issues.
• Don’t lose your temper!

Aims and priorities

Before you raise an issue you must work out what you want to achieve. This will depend on:

• the nature of the problem
• relevant agreements, union policies and legal rights
• union strength.

You will have to decide whether to emphasise the individual case or the broader issues it raises.

And you may have to work out whether you want a written agreement or an informal arrangement.Make sure you are clear about what members needs are and that you take them into account.

Short term and long term

Often you will have short-term aims. For example, if a machine is defective your short-term aim might be to get it fixed while your long-term aim might be to get it replaced. If a member has been disciplined your short-term aim might be to get them reinstated, while your long-term aim might be to improve the discipline procedure. Most issues have both aspects:

• it’s often easier to deal with immediate short-term aspects - but don’t lose sight of longer-term aims
• if you’re negotiating for longer-term improvements it’s a good idea to get management to agree to introduce them over a period of time.

Fallback position

Collective bargaining means reaching a compromise: you won’t normally get everything you want from management. Your willingness to compromise depends on:

• your negotiating strength and members’ support
• the importance of the issue
• whether management is breaking a law or an agreement.

Before you see management, work out what kinds of compromise you would be prepared to accept and decide what the minimum acceptable offer is.

Obviously you shouldn’t let management know you fallback position, or how far you are ready to compromise. Remember not to set bad precedents!

Your arguments

Be very clear about both the strong and weak points of the union case. You may decide to use some of the strong arguments at the start and keep others in reserve. Remember you may need to change direction in the discussion if things don’t go according to plan.

Management’s arguments

Try to work out the points you think management are likely to make. It’s important to consider these in advance and how you will respond.

Tactics

Have a trade union side (TUS) meeting to go through the main points of the case, the arguments you will use, who will lead the trade union side and who will come in with extra points.

After the meeting

• Never leave without a clear written record of what has been agreed.
• Don’t leave management to send you their record afterwards. Make sure you have PCS notes as well.
• Let members know what has happened - their support is your strength. Make sure you arrange office meetings, where possible, as well as giving a written report. This will enable members to ask questions and put forward their point of view.