Forestry Commission Trade Unions - www.fctu.org.uk
PCS Forestry Commission Group
The Public and Commercial Services Union is the largest union in the Civil Service and the Forestry Commission. The Forestry Commission Group is the section of the union which represents PCS members who work in the Forestry Commission. As trade union members we all value being part of a strong union, but that depends on three things:
- A high proportion of staff being members of the union.
- Having enough of us willing to help out and being actively involved in the union’s decision making processes.
- All of us being actively engaged in helping to resolve workplace issues.
The important point is that the union is not your representative or a person at the end of the phone, but all of us, including you. If we want the union to be strong and successful then we all have an important part to play.
Allan Mackenzie
Group President
On this page:
> Review of Group Structures
> Branch AGMs and Group Conference
> PCS National Campaign
Review of Group Structures
New Group Constitution 10 May 2008
Following agreement by the Group and National Executive Committees, delegates at our group conference held on 6th and 7th May in York have agreed to adopt a new group constitution.
Further information: Conference Paper on the Group Review | New Constitution
The main changes contained in the new constitution are:
- A change in the composition of the GEC to reflect the new branches. (Rule 8)
- The appointment of the group’s full-time official as the Group Secretary. (Rule 6)
- The introduction of group level elections for the Group Treasurer, and Organiser (in addition to the President). (Rule 7)
- A change in the composition of this conference to provide a more formal link between the branches and their delegates. (Rule 18)
- The new text is also more consistent with the constitutions being used in other parts of the union and is compliant with the union's principal rules.
Introduction 10 Jan 2008
Over the first few months of this year we shall be changing some of the structures in our group, including;
- In England, increasing the number of branches from three to seven,
- Changing the composition of the GEC, and
- Changing the way that delegates are selected to attend our Group Conference.
It is hoped that these changes will enable more people to become involved in the work of our union, through attending local meetings and influencing what we do through decisions taken at Conference. Click here to find out more about the review.
2008 Branch AGMs and Group Conference
Click here for detailed information about the Group Conference
Branch AGMs 7th Feb 2008
In the next couple of months each of our branches will be holding its Annual General Meeting. These are important events as they are one of the main opportunities for each of us can help determine what the union will be focusing on over the coming year. The meetings are an opportunity to raise any issues of concern that you have as well as to catch up with what has been happening elsewhere and to hear other people's views.
The AGMs also provide an opportunity to help determine what the union is doing at the group (FC) and national levels. This is done through branches submitting motions to either the group or national conference. If you have an issue of concern that you feel the union should some/more (or less) attention to, then please have a look at our Quick Guide to Conference Motions which explains how to make sure that your issue gets raised and discussed. Our next annual Group Conference will be held in York on 6th and 7th May.
Details of each of the branch AGMs are listed below, and everyone is strongly encouraged to attend:
Silvan House: 1400 on 26th Feb 2008.
North Scotland: 3rd March 2008 at Kingussie.
South Scotland: 1330 on 21st Feb 2008 at Aberfoyle.
Wales: 1pm to 3pm on 28th Feb 2008, in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, Great Oak Street, Llanidloes, Powys.
North England: 1030 on 13th Feb 2008 at the Vintage Hotel, Scotch Corner.
South West England: 1100 on 29th Jan 2008, at MTC Coleway, Forest of Dean.
South & East England: 1100 on 30th Jan 2008 at Cambridge.
PCS National Campaign
Members vote YES for action to Protect our Pay 23rd Oct 2008
The national executive committee (NEC) has agreed the first stages of a programme of national industrial action across civil and public services over the government's public sector pay cap. The union urged the government to come to the negotiating table to avoid damaging industrial action and review its public sector pay cap of 2%, which is resulting in pay cuts and pay freezes for some of the lowest paid in the public sector.
If there is no movement from the government then industrial action will begin with a one day UK civil service and public sector strike on 10th November 2008.
CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR FULL BRIEFING ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SUPPORTING THE STRIKE.
Ballot to Protect our Pay 1st Aug 2008
The national executive committee has agreed that a national membership ballot in the civil service and related public sector areas on industrial action over pay will be held between 24 September and 17 October. This ballot will be for discontinuous strike action, and discontinuous action short of a strike.
See our full briefing on the pay campaign and the need for a strong YES vote.
Ballot on Job Agreement Protocol 1st Aug 2008
In March this year PCS reached an important national agreement with the Cabinet Office which provides our members in the civil service and related Non-Departmental Public Bodies with improved protection from compulsory redundancy. That agreement was endorsed by our Annual Delegate Conference in May. Conference agreed that our members should have the final say on the agreement.
See our full briefing on the protocol and the need for a strong YES vote.
Campaign Update from Mark Serwotka and Janice Godrich 7th Feb 2008
Thanks to the hard campaigning and industrial action undertaken by PCS members during 2007, the Cabinet Office finally agreed to negotiate about our national campaign demands after many months of refusing to do so. Those talks began in November and have continued into January. The talks have been taking place in a number of distinct strands with a focus on the avoidance of compulsory redundancies, pay, ‘well-being at work’ and procedures to govern proposed privatisations.