False Allegations of Sexual Harassment

Amendment to Motion 30 (Carried and incorporated into M 30) Add after fifth paragraph “That a member who is accused of a serious sexual allegation of a service user or member of staff can lead to the arrest or even charge of the member. The result of a false allegation can lead to the arrest […]

Equal Pay and Single Status

Conference deplores the fact that almost 30 years after the Equal Pay Act there continues to be a gap between full-time men and part-time women’s pay in local government of 42% and an overall gender pay gap of 19%. 80% of councils across the UK still need to implement new pay structures and deliver equal […]

Efficiency Reviews and Regional Democracy

Conference notes with alarm plans announced by the Government and devolved UK administrations to achieve so-called “efficiency savings” in the public sector by increasing productivity and procurement. Conference affirms its commitment to high quality, responsive public services, but believes that the efficiency reviews are cost driven and not likely to improve services. Each efficiency announcement […]

Workforce Training and Development

Conference notes that the Government’s emphasis on high quality, improved local government services continues but believes that this cannot be achieved without a highly skilled and fairly rewarded workforce. However this contrasts with a continuing skills deficit in Local Government, in areas such as environmental protection, social services and trading standards and the additional pressures […]

Police Federation Membership Expansion

Conference notes with extreme concern, the announcement at Police Federation Conference 2005 that the Federation has set up a working party to examine pros and cons of taking police staff, with police powers into membership. This could potentially lead to the Federation seeking to recruit PCSOs, detention officers investigating officers and other police staff accredited […]

Budget Cuts

Conference notes there has been a political decision that there shall not be any reduction in Police Officer numbers. Consequently, under the force wide efficiency and budget savings exercise, Forces are redeploying Police Officers into Police Staff posts to avoid any reduction in Police Officer numbers. This means that Police Staff are carrying the brunt […]

PCSOs

Conference welcomes the Government’s announcement that the Service will employ 25,000 Police Community Support Officers by 2008. In so doing, Conference acknowledges that this major increase in the Police Staff establishment will present both opportunities and challenges for the Police Staff Service Group. The opportunities include the potential for a massive increase in membership and […]

Pensions

Conference restates our complete opposition to any detrimental changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme which would reduce our members’ security when facing retirement, redundancy or ill-health. The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is not a costly and unaffordable scheme – it provides a modest income in old age for workers who have served the […]

The Funding Crisis in Further Education

The Government promised financial stability in FE in its “Success for All” reforms in 2002. It recognised that annual funding allocations lead to short-term planning, restricting the ability to take strategic decisions because of uncertainty about future income flows. A three-year funding strategy, with an extra £1 billion was promised. Additional funding has been consumed […]

Employers’ Proposals on the Review of Part Two of the Green Book

Conference notes the proposals made by the Employers’ side of the National Joint Council (NJC) on 11 May in relation to the review of national conditions of service set out in Part Two of the Green Book. We believe that these have profound implications for all members within the Service Group, not only those whose […]

Privatisation of Probation Services in the National Offender Management Services

Conference notes with extreme concern that the creation of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) threatens to privatise many Probation Services, worsen provision to clients and drive down the terms and conditions of probation staff. This threat has been exacerbated by the undue delay in the Government agreeing to extend the two-tier workforce protections to […]

Promoting Race Equality

Conference notes that current United Kingdom legislation places a duty upon public bodies to promote race equality. It further notes that public bodies in Northern Ireland and the Greater London Authority have a similar duty in other respects too. It regrets that this wider duty has not, so far, been extended to other public bodies […]

Local Government Service Group Executive Report

This Conference receives the report of the Local Government Service Group Executive.

Protect Our Pensions

This Conference notes that the Police Staff Service Group represents around 32,000 members. The vast majority of whom are members of the Local Government Pension Scheme. Conference is alarmed at Government Proposals to significantly weaken our pension provision. Furthermore, we are deeply concerned that as public sector workers we could be denied the right to […]

Information and Consultation Regulations

Conference notes that the new Information and Consultation Regulations come into force in April 2005. These new regulations are having an important impact on all workplace relations but particularly in the Community and Voluntary Sector. Conference notes that the Information and Consultation Regulations will introduce important new rights for employees to be informed and consulted […]