For DWP Vice President

I have been a member of PCS and its predecessor unions for 42 years and I have experience as a Union rep for almost 25 years.

I started in the DHSS, DSS, BA and now I am in a JC in the DWP.

I am proud to have been elected as a Group Vice President since 2019 and upon re election in 2023 I promise to:

• Continue to use my experience in negotiating to work to protect and better all terms and conditions for our members across all our membership and equality strands.

• To take full part in the National Pay Campaign to fight for the pay we deserve for all members and their families to live in dignity with a wage that is fair for the job that we do in the public sector.

• To continue to consult and negotiate to achieve the correct level of staffing and workloads in the DWP with permanent jobs so members can provide a safe and effective welfare system for all.

• To continue to utilise my health and safety knowledge, training and experience across all consultations and negotiations to ensure all DWP environments are safe and healthy workplaces and also to continue to use it in personal casework to support members in the workplace.

• To continue to work with all operational advisory teams, branches, regions and countries on operational consultation and negotiations ensuring good communications are in place and escalations are undertaken quickly when needed.

• I value morality, honesty, integrity and equality for everyone and I will continue to work towards full inclusion for all at every level in society. I will work with other unions and organisations with the same agendas as PCS promoting full solidarity and support to them via all routes including my Trades Council.

I am very proud of all our activists who have returned the historical National Campaign Pay ballot result in PCS but especially in DWP as the amount of hard work to reach this achievement has been immense in the largest department.

The 1^st of February was a huge day in PCS and I congratulate every single rep and member in this achievement and what we can now continue to do to work with the NEC in the National Campaign.

A strategy that our members support and deserve that I will continue to fully support

The amount of work and commitment the LU led GEC has shown in the last three years will never be surpassed in my opinion. Showing leadership and guiding us through COVID.

Protection of our members health and safety was imperative and now the Cost of Living Crisis our members are enduring has to be won by pay awards to protect them again!

I believe that the LU team has been dedicated and passionate about protecting our members terms conditions and safety and will, when elected continue to fight for our membership in everything that is required.

I am proud to have played my part in that and hope to continue the work for our membership as a Group Vice President.

I ask that you read all the statements of those standing for election and re-election in 2023 and consider voting for all LU colleagues standing as a great team moving forward in strength for you as a member of PCS.

My Vice President duties have included negotiations:

CMG 2019-21

Currently:

RSD-CED-DRS-UC-WSD-WAD-PIP disability services- Chairing all Director lead negotiations in these operational areas.

PAY Team

Strategic resourcing

Employer Relations negotiations

ND23 office closure negotiations and Estates and HS meetings where needed at DTUS level and will continue to give advice and input for any area I am involved in whist supporting our reps and members by making myself available to them for guidance and help enabling quick escalation and resolution to issues in the directorates.

My history in PCS includes:

site rep, HS rep, ULR.

Branch Secretary-to date

Personal case rep and undertake cases within all categories with an excellent success rate in supporting our members in the workplace up to ET level.

I have undertaken roles within my region of:

Equality Officer, Regional Organiser, NE Chair.

I am currently the NE facility time lead which includes managing the time allocation of TUD. I regularly support our reps in branches when faced with hostility to ensure the ERF is correctly implemented by management ensuring that all reps can support our membership fully.

Group Experience

GWAC- Group Women’s Advisory Committee- working alongside other female reps proactively supporting women via seminars, advice and guidance. I helped to write the ‘Maternity and Pregnancy pack’ and ‘Women’s Health pack’.

I am a trained Domestic Violence rep and I am a contact with the Police and Crime Commissioner via a database to support women in and out of the workplace.

By working on the GWAC I was empowered to stand for election to the GEC where I served for a number of years as a GEC member and undertook the role of liaison officer to regions including the NE and SE.

Having worked as a regional organiser I stood for Group Organiser and was proud to work with branches, regions and FTO’S during the massive ‘checkoff campaign’ effectively ensuring that PCS converted its members to direct debit to stop the attack launched upon us by the Government to try and bankrupt us into submission.

I will always be proud of how PCS and the DWP LU led GEC handled that campaign and was extremely successful now resulting in a 3million pound settlement from the Government for their actions.

I am proud to have trained and supported dozens of new activists and advocates up and down the country in New Reps and Personal case training whilst coordinating and working with 9 regions and 2 countries. Many I now see standing for positions in branches and regions and the GEC.

Learning was also a responsibility and whilst Organiser I negotiated with ER inclusion on ‘Collaborative time’ into the ERF for learning as official duty to supplement TUD activity for reps after the lapsing of the learning agreement.

Thankyou for taking the time to read this.

Please vote in the election for the LU candidates who will support you in DWP.

Marie