Public and Commercial Services Union

Motion A 74 was carried NEC Attitude: support

This Conference recognises the vital role of PCS reps in handling personal cases and how the employers’ agenda and workplace
conditions have increased members’ demand for individual representation.

The union’s organising, bargaining and campaigning approach helps ensure we continue to take up the collective bargaining issues
affecting members while in parallel, we have improved structures and increased resources to provide better support for personal case
officers at all levels of the union.”

Conference welcomes the content of Conference Report ‘Legal and Personal Case Services in PCS’ and endorses the conclusions and
recommendations contained within. In endorsing these recommendations the NEC is instructed to monitor its implementation.

E marked motions associated with lead motion A74: E502-E504 and E513-E515

Motion A76 was carried, NEC Attitude: support

Conference congratulates some of the Regional Offices for the level of communication and the training and assistance they provide to
Reps.

However it is recognised that there are wide variances in the service provided by other Regional Offices. Conference instructs
the NEC to evaluate the service provided to members and Branch Reps across the Regional PCS Offices and ensure that training and
communication procedures are standardised and improved so that consistent high standards are provided across all offices.

E marked motion associated with lead motion A76: E366

Motion A77 was carried NEC Attitude: support with statement

This conference notes that the death benefit from PCS has remained at £1100 since the inception of PCS and was in fact an inherited
figure from one the predecessor unions.

This Conference calls on the incoming NEC to review the amount payable with a view to increasing it to a more meaningful figure and bring proposals to the 2008 conference for agreement.

E marked motion associated with lead motion A77: E367

Motion A78 was carried NEC Attitude: support

Conference recognises the important work carried out by our Union
Learning reps in encouraging life-long learning.

Conference believes that ULRs can also play a key role in developing support for wider union campaigns and in recruitment to PCS. Conference, therefore, agrees that:

1. Recruitment to the union will be emphasised in all future ULR events and publications;

2. ULRs will be encouraged to negotiate preferential terms for members to access courses where possible with local colleges;

3. ULRs to be encourage to work closely with their Branch Committees, participating in union recruitment, distribution, etc.

E marked motions associated with lead motion A78: E368 and E369

Motion A79 was carried NEC Attitude: support

This Conference notes that counselling is a skill that many representatives may require during their work undertaking personal
cases.

Conference acknowledges that the policy of PCS is that representatives should not try and take on the role of a counsellor, as this requires full training and expertise.

To try to undertake such a function untrained could lead to the representative inadvertently making the situation worse for the member. Conference believes that professional counselling services should be provided primarily via/from the employer.

One of the ways however in which representatives could ascertain as to whether they should deal with a case or pass it on to a
Counsellor is if they had counselling skills training, as this would give them an insight as to the role of a fully trained counsellor without the danger of them believing that this was their role.

Conference therefore instructs the incoming National Executive Committee to:

a) Raise the question of counselling skills training with the TUC with a view to a TUC counselling skills courses being across the country in Autumn 2007, or New Year 2008 at the latest
b) If (a) is not possible then the NEC is instructed to fund such training via the PCS Regional Offices using appropriately
qualified College tutors c) Report back to Branches on the development of the above education programme in good time before next Conference by January 2008.

E marked motions associated with lead motion A79: E370 and E371

Guillotined: A80