Distinguished Life Memberships presented

Acting PCS president Martin Cavanagh announced the three recipients of a Distinguished Life Membership during this afternoon’s session. The awards were presented by general secretary Fran Heathcote.

Kenny McKay

Kenny was a rep on the Atos GEC and a mentor for the other reps. He held many branch and group roles and in the last few years has sat on the national executive committee on behalf of PCS’s private sector members. Kenny was instrumental in setting up the private sector members’ association. In 2019 he secured a two-year pay deal which was ground-breaking at the time, as it moved the minimum starting salary in the Atos bargaining unit from £17,000 to £20,000.

Harvey Crane

Harvey became a rep in the CPSA in the 1980s. He moved to Southend in 1990 and became branch chair of the NUCPS. He went forward to hold various other union posts. Harvey developed a good reputation with management and members alike as someone who made positive changes for members at work. Harvey was a member of the HMRC group executive committee and was later elected to the NEC. He has also been heavily involved in his local trades council for many years and has organised Pride events locally.

Derek Mellor

Derek has been involved in the union in its various forms since the start of the 80s. While at the Inland Revenue he negotiated the first “no core time” and compressed working week agreement. Derek moved from the Inland Revenue to the Home Office in 2000 and went straight into the vacant branch chair role on his first day, later holding others within the branch and group and also becoming a TUC lay tutor. Derek designed and wrote the branch newsletter and then its website, publishing updates every other day, and also designed the branch’s online personal case system. He served on the national standing orders committee of PCS and predecessor unions since 1994, also working on training for new and trainee delegates.