Associate and Retired Members

North West Committee

Newsletter
Our website: tiny.cc/a-nw
Our e-mail: arms.mersey@gmail.com
Join ARMS: tinyurl.com/j8qayrk

March.2017 Editors: Ray Beeton, Neville Grundy, Steve Ion

Join the PCS payday protest on 31 March

Our fellow PCS members who are still in work
are suffering from the long-term effects of 1%
pay restraint since 2010. PCS is organising a day
of protest on 1 March, payday. ARMS members
are encouraged to support working colleagues in
a series of local events.
R&C Criminal Justice: lunchtime rally outside
office.
R&C Greater Manchester: lunchtime rally
outside office.
…..........................................................................
NW ARMS join anti-fracking protests
On 11 January 2017, the NW Arms committee
agreed to support the anti-fracking campaign at
Preston New Road on the Fylde coast and to ask
the PCS NW Regional Centre to encourage PCS
members to get involved. On Saturday 25
February around 500 people attended the site
including ARMs members from Greater
Manchester.

Events that we have heard about include:

Liverpool Home Office, R&C, CPS, DSG: city
centre lunchtime rally.
R&C Salford Revenue: lunchtime rally outside
office.
R&C St Johns House, Bootle: petition 12-1pm
outside Triad. Demo/photo op 1pm outside Triad.
Land Registry Birkenhead: lunchtime pay event
and photoshoot outside ferry terminal.
Ryscar House, Fylde: lunchtime leafleting and
photo call.
Home Office DBS: lunchtime rally outside
office.
ARMS's Jacquie Hadfield at the fracking protest
On 16 March 2017 Sue Lloyd, John Hadfield and
Jacquie Hadfield joined the protest where the
police presence outweighed the number of
protesters. The county council refused
permission for Cuadrilla to explore for shale gas
at the site but this ruling was over turned by the
government. The council has objected to paying
for the police operation at the site because they
had refused permission, and want the
government to cough up.

© 2017 The North West Regional Committee of PCS ARMS (Associate & Retired Members).
A spokesperson for Preston New Road Action
Group said: “Democracy died in Lancashire after
last October’s decision. We hope it can be
resurrected by the High Court in Manchester
finding this decision to allow fracking unlawful
and one which must be revoked immediately.”
More info at: http://frack-off.org.uk/
Anti-Fracking speaker and motion
The ARMS Mersey AGM heard a speaker Tony
Young from Formby Fracking who was well
received. Tony outlined in detail the damage to
the landscape caused by fracking. This would
effect the structure of the ground and could
cause earthquakes as happened at Blackpool.
Carcinogenic substances are also released into
the atmosphere and also the substrata and water
table. Fracking holes only have a maximum shelf
life of three years, so there would soon be
pressure to drill 1000s of holes across the NW.
The following motion was carried:
This AGM agrees to give full support to the Anti
Fracking Campaigns both nationally and locally.
This meeting agrees to fully publicise their
activity to our members.
…...........................................................................
Motion on the NHS
Tony Mulhearn of NW ARMS has proposed a
motion to Liverpool TUC calling for:
1) For the TUC and Labour Party to urgently
name the day, preferably a working day, to
organise a second, bigger demo
2) For coordinated strike action by health and
other trade unions to stop cuts and closures
© 2017 The North West Regional Committee of PCS ARMS (Associate & Retired Members).
3) For every local authority to refuse to sign up
to Tory STP plans to cut budgets by a further
£22 billion
4) For the cuts in social care to be reversed
5) For coordinated regional protests in every
STP area to highlight the impact of the cuts
and a 'hot summer' of action to keep up the
pressure.
6) For international Workers' Day - May Day – to
be a day of protest in defence of the NHS.
…...........................................................................
NPC to affiliate to the People's Assembly
A motion to the National Pensioners Convention
(NPC) to affililiate to the People's Assembly
Against Austerity was proposed at the NPC
conference on 22 March by W Midlands NPC
and seconded by PCS ARMS. Despite
opposition from the CSPA and Prospect, the
motion was carried 54:34.
…...........................................................................
ARMS at anti-racism demo
ARMS members joined the PCS contingent on
the anti-racism demo that took place in London
on Saturday 18 March in London.
….......................................................
Join your local ARMS group
To find out how to get involved in ARMS in the
NW, including our Manchester and Merseyside
groups, go to our our NW blog at: tiny.cc/a-nw.