PCS National Conference - Final DayThe third and final day of the ADC started with Emma Haslehurst giving an interview to the PCS Voice magazine who were eager to get her views as a first time delegate.
Emma was horrified as she was also asked to pose for a photograph and had she known she was to be asked she said she would have had her hair done and made sure she had her lippy at the ready!
Then it was into the business of the day with the Personnel Policy section where motions A114 on discounting of disability related absences in attendance management procedures. This motion was carried and like all such motions is now PCS policy, but not Departmental policy, we still have to get the management to change their policies so don't think the battle is over! There were also motions carried, A115 relating to recovery of overpayments and A116 on the negotiation of a National Call Centre Framework Agreement. A117 fell as the moving branch were not in the hall to move it and A118 calling for negotiations to be opened on paid leave for those undergoing fertility treatment was carried before the guillotine fell.
The conference then debated the largest section of the day, the Social & Economic – General section. A129 calling for an end to Child Poverty was carried along with A130 calling for opposition to the Government's Welfare Reforms agenda. A131 was a motion opposing the privatisation of Royal Mail/Post Offices and for the Post Offices to be used to maintain a Government-run savings and banking system and was carried. It was then that the expenses scandal again raised its head and it was decided to carry motion A625 calling for the union to cut ties with any MP who was part of the PCS Parliamentary Group who was found to have abused the expenses system.
The section ended, and indeed over-ran with a debate on A585 which dealt with the terrible waste of young life with the increase in recent months of knife crime. Unfortunately the motion called for education and action to overcome the problem paired with a call to establish whether an alternative to a custodial sentence or stiffer penalties including a "life sentence" meaning "life". It caused a huge debate amongst delegates as to the direction this policy could go and although the moving branch were clear in their right of reply that it did not mean a return to stiffer penalties such as the death penalty it was still seen to have the potential to be seen that way.
In addition the NEC were concerned that a "life sentence" meaning "life" could tie the hands of the judiciary in setting appropriate penalties and another speaker felt it could mean that person who had become aware of the enormity of their actions and had been re-habilitated would remain in prison. The conference heeded calls for the motion to be remitted (though this was opposed by the NEC who despite their reservations still believed the motion should succeed) but not before a card vote was called to decide. 117,049 were in favour of remission with 80,692 against.
Because the section and the card vote took so long only one motion was debated in the guillotine section, where those motions not heard in their own section had the chance to be heard again. This was X502 which as a result of a successful reference back at the start of the ADC had been re-classified as A502. The motion dealt with the unions own policies for dealing with Harassment and Bullying and a review of these policies was agreed when the motion was carried.
The conference ended with a vote of thanks where the highlights of the conference were noted, the success of the debates celebrated and a reminder was given about the upcoming European and local elections where we were all asked to remind everyone to "Make Your Vote Count!" The mover of the vote of thanks herself being descended from a holocaust survivor.
Then it was all over and time to collect bags and go home until next time.
As you can see in the picture, some delegates from the Isle of Wight managed to hitch a lift from some passing MPs...
Chris Wade
