THE POPULAR FRONT FOR THE LIBERATION OF CPSA
FIGHTING ON IN OUR 45th YEAR BUT A BIT RETIRED NOW
FREEDOM! UNITY! SOCIALISM!
ONE CIVIL SERVICE UNION,
ONE GLORIOUS DESTINY!
REVOLUTION UNTIL VICTORY!
FALCONCREST STILL INFESTED BY BARRYVIRUS
by Barrabas
LINK TO BLADDERGATE
Although it was widely believed that the barryvirus had been contained and was scheduled to be destroyed next month, news reaches us that it has mutated and produced offspring.
Barry called an NEC for 19/20/21st June, Janice cried foul - insufficient notice, and didn't like the agenda. Would you if you weren't a Moderate, given the menu below?
The Agenda items include:
A paper proposing the appointment of 2 new Deputy General Secretaries (BOIL & McCANN - no big surprises there) in London and Scotland
A proposed reallocation of duties which effectively makes the Assistant General Secretary, Hugh Lanning, redundant (again, no surprise)
Enhancement of the role of the PCS Glasgow Office (under McCann, of course)
Plans to reduce the powers of the President
Proposals that PCS pays for Barry's 23 May legal opinion (£11K)
NEC nominations for the TUC General Council, and delegations to the TUC, STUC and the TUC equality conferences
NEC representation at the PFI World Congress
'Noting' (ie not debating) any motions from branches
Proposals for the PCS View Editorial Board
Composition of NEC Sub Committees
After much time-wasting of the "my lawyer's bigger than your lawyer" variety, Janice decided that following advice from the union's lawyers, sweetness and light should prevail and that the meeting could go ahead, subject to it being held under the standing orders of the previous NEC (the body). So at 2.40 this afternoon, the NEC meeting started, finishing at 3.30 without any decisions being taken.
Why no decisions? Another legal squabble about whether or not the Standing Orders of the previous NEC can be applied by the President, or whether they should be voted on to be adopted, with the President refusing to allow a vote on the matter, because she had private legal advice. So that's 2 days NEC lost, with its attendant costs to the members.
Veep John McGowan has issued the following statement:
This meeting of the NEC notes the legal advice received by the union's lawyers about the purported decision of the President, Janice Godrich, about the NEC Standing Orders, and the advice obtained by Janice Godrich without the authority of the NEC.
This meeting also notes Janice Godrich's perverse decision to ignore the advice from the lawyers instructed by the PCS, and the fact that the advice she has obtained does not say that she can rule that the Standing Orders of the previous NEC apply to this NEC, but say that the Standing Orders have to be voted on to be adopted, which Janice has refused to do.
In the light of Alan Pardoe QC's advice her decision is also ultra vires. Any decisions taken on the basis of that decision would clearly put the union in breach of its rules and at risk of legal claims against it. The NEC therefore agrees that no decisions can be taken within the unlawful framework of that decision.
This meeting instructs the general secretary to report to members the action taken by Janice Godrich to obstruct the work of the democratically elected NEC, and to take steps to ensure that none of the union's resources are used by Janice Godrich, Mark Serwotka or any of their supporters to issue any material counter to this instruction.
Any costs incurred by Janice Godrich or her supporters to obtain unofficial legal opinions, or of material issued by Janice Godrich or her supporters will be charged personally to them. The general secretary is also instructed by the NEC to remind all officers and staff that he is acting with the full authority of the elected NEC, and his instructions must be acted upon. The NEC will take a serious view of any breach of this instruction.
I am instructing you, on behalf of the majority of this meeting, as general secretary under SR 8.2(b) to ensure that this decision is recorded in the record of decisions of this meeting.
The NEC should be a fairly quiet affair tomorrow, with half of them pissed after the footie, and the other half in Court (it's the costs hearing in Court 6 if you're at a loose end).
Don't expect to see much in the way of information from Falconcrest - despatch are refusing to send out anything from Barry, but all All Members Circulars have to come from the GS. Result - the members are not kept informed by PCS, unless they have access to the internet and read it here.
I haven't covered the LUnity line on yesterday and today's farce, because they're not saying anything. Indeed, requests for reports of the Trotfest on Wednesday seem to produce only grunts. None of the Leftie websites has been updated. Further update tomorrow, or more likely over the weekend.