Public and Commercial Services Union

Please remember childcare issues when considering the timing of your demo or protest. Lunchtime demos may be more accessible and therefore better attended by members.

Don’t forget about access for disabled members; ensure your meeting point and the route of any march/protest is suitable for the members in your branch (e.g. not in a pub if you have members who don’t drink or socialise in such venues).

You will need to get police permission if you are organising a march/demo, so please contact your local police station and ask for the public order planning department.

If the event is within a mile of parliament in Westminster there are various restrictions and so you must give notice to the Metropolitan Police at least seven days in advance. Contact the events team at Charing Cross police station on 020 7321 7524 to discuss the event and any applications you have to complete. For guidance on completing these forms you can also contact the PCS campaigns unit on 020 7801 2820 or campaigns@pcs.org.uk.

Members and reps are taking part in this kind of activity in their PCS capacity as a rep or member. Please share information on our campaign and what members of the public can do to support us but do not disclose any confidential information.

Think about the contents of any materials you hand out and also what you say to the press or members of the public and how you say it. For example, don’t be derogatory or disrespectful about colleagues or managers or your employer in what you say or in leaflets etc that you give out. Inappropriate comments might lead to disciplinary action against you by your employing department/agency. Always bear in mind the contents of your employing department/agency’s disciplinary policy and/or standards of behaviour policy.

If you are approached for comment by the media while you are taking part in a demo/protest, tell them about our campaign/issues and make it clear you are speaking in your capacity as a PCS rep. Refer them to our press office for more information.

Checklist

Planning the event

• Plan the meeting point/route and contact the police and council to check out any restrictions and obtain the necessary permission and sort out the number of stewards you should aim to recruit.
• Think about where you intend to have the demo/protest and check if it’s a public place. Some places you would consider public are actually privately owned (shopping centres for instance) and you could be asked to move on. In shopping centres you may want to seek permission in advance by speaking to the centre management.
• Try to ensure the route/area where the protest/demo is taking place is accessible and also does not exclude different faiths.
• Get microphone/public address system or megaphone if required.
• Pick the best time and day for members (remember shift and part-time workers and those with caring responsibilities).
• Get other PCS branches, equality networks, trade unions, trades councils and other supportive organisations in the area on board.
• If you need funding provisionally book what you need and contact your regional secretary with estimated costs immediately. If the branch can’t fund the event the regional secretary can agree funds from their regional campaigns budget.
• Invite speakers – by letter/fax/e-mail and follow up by phone. Restrict to five or six speakers, for a maximum of 5 minutes each.
• Chase up when you have other speakers confirmed use this as leverage to get other speakers.
• Put out calls for stewards and make sure you set a time to brief them on plans for the day.
• Make sure you have hi-vis vests for the stewards – contact your regional secretary if you need more.
• Encourage branches and other unions to bring union banners along and also ensure you have flyers and materials for people to give out.
• Publicise the event with members, potential members and community groups – face-to-face, flyers and posters. Use the build up period to recruit new members and activists to our union.
• Media release – copy in national press officer Richard Simcox (Richard@pcs.org.uk).
• If the demo or protest is high profile you may want to book a photographer – contact Mary Olubodun at PCS HQ (maryo@pcs.org.uk or 020 7801 2820) to do this, or ask the paper if they’re sending a photographer along and whether you can get shots from them.
• Once speakers are agreed ensure a written briefing on the issues goes out to them about two days before the event.
• A day or two before the event do a reminder leaflet drop with members.
• Ensure you have a chair for the demo/protest and make sure they are briefed about the event including brief biogs about the speakers.
• Make sure the event and route of the march is advertised on the PCS website, publicised on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites.

On the day

• Get there early to prepare the venue and get ready for the stewards briefing.
• Issue the hi-vis vests to the stewards.
• Ensure PA equipment/megaphone is working if booked.
• Contact press again to remind them of the event.
• Chair should brief speakers about the event.
• Check with photographer or paper when photos will be ready.
• Ask stewards to hand out placards and leaflets for public leafleting during demo/protest.
• Make sure you have nominated a chief steward and everyone knows who they are and has their contact details.Make sure chief steward has a full list of stewards names and mobile telephone numbers.
• Make sure stewards are ready to pick up placards at the end of the demo/protest and arrangements are in place for transportation back to PCS regional office.

Next day

• Write thank you letters/e-mail/fax to the speakers.
• Write up a short report about the lessons learnt should you do an event like this again – send it to your regional secretary, GEC organiser and the campaigns, communications and organising department.
• Write a short story that can be used on the PCS website – e-mail to David Tilley Davidt@pcs.org.uk.
• Send the invoice to your regional secretary if they agreed to pay for the event.