Public and Commercial Services Union

Following the machinery of government changes in 2007 which led to the formation of the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), PCS have agreed to create a new group which will directly represent the interests of all members in the new department.

This will formally come into being by the end of May, but in the meantime your PCS reps who moved with you to DIUS will continue to do their jobs in representing your day to day interests.

A new departmental trade union side was quickly formed after the changes were implemented and continues to be chaired by Marion Lloyd, PCS group president. Negotiations are continuing with the department on all aspects of your pay, terms and conditions.

Members come first

The first and most important element of the group is you, the member. Without membership involvement and activity PCS is not able to function effectively as a union.

First and foremost, member representation takes place at branch level. A branch may be a particular building or several containing members of DIUS, and will be involved in advice and personal representation, meetings with members and distribution of union materials.

Details of the current DIUS Branches and key representatives can be found in the contacts section.

Group executive committee

Covering all of the branches there is a group executive committee (GEC).

This is made up of representatives elected by all the group membership to protect and promote the interests of all PCS members in DIUS and to progress issues which affect members in more than one of our branches.

Our policies will normally be established through debate at and motions passed by the annual group conference, but the GEC might also need to determine policy on new issues as they arise between conferences.

PCS is there to support us

PCS’s interests within DIUS covers everything which affects you as a worker and union member in the department - such as:

• pay and conditions
• accommodation and information
• communication and techonolgy issues
• excessive workloads
• work/life balance
• health and well-being

in fact anything which has a direct or indirect impact on members.

The GEC also appoints the PCS reps on the departmental trade union side from branch and group levels. The trade union side brings together PCS and the other unions recognised by DIUS and is responsible for consultation and negotiation with our employer.

Group conference

As a result of the establishment of new groups for DIUS and DCSF, the annual “DfES” group conference has been cancelled in 2008.

This is to allow a new constitution to be drawn up and a conference will be called later in the year to allow branches to vote on this.

Motions passed at branch annual general meetings earlier this year will still be taken forward and a special GEC meeting with representatives from all branches is being held during April. .

Elections to the GEC will take place when the new group is properly constituted. Until then, work will be taken forward by the former DfES GEC, details of which can be found on the group contacts page.

Keeping you up to date

Further information about the DIUS in PCS group will be available on this website as further progress is made in setting up the necessary structures.

The group and branches will continue to function as normal in the meantime and updates on current issues such as pay negotiations, accommodation in Kingsgate House and the new Sheffield building will be available on this website as well as through normal branch distribution methods.

PCS priorities are ultimately its members’ priorities. This is reflected in the way that PCS is growing in membership and this growth increases our influence with employers.

If you want to see improvements to your pay and working conditions, if you do not want to be disciplined unfairly, or if you want to work in healthy conditions without being continually overloaded with work, then joining PCS and playing a role in the union’s work is the way to turn what you want from your employer into a reality.

Find out more about joining PCS.