CIRC 032: GENERAL SECRETARY UPDATE POA ANNUAL CONFERENCE ENDORSE FINANCE STRATEGY 2022-2025 3 YEAR PLAN INCLUDING A FREEZE ON SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR 2022

Annual Conference delegates endorsed Conference Paper 3. Initially outlined in the NEC paper was to increase subscriptions in 2022 by 33 pence per month, however we recognise the financial pressure on our dedicated POA members, so the Executive recommended to freeze subscriptions at £15.60 for the third year running with a review to take place at Conference in May 2023. The NEC and delegates operating on your behalf recognised the cost-of-living crisis that our membership is enduring as you await the outcome of the Pay Review Body recommendations.

The POA NEC over the last few years have acted prudently in protecting members money without compromising the very best of representation. The POA have a flat rate of £15.60 of which out of that £1 per month is ring fenced for the welfare fund, 15 pence per month is ring fenced for the political fund and 30p per month is ring fenced for the trade dispute fund, meaning that £14.15 is paid per month into the general fund. We will continue to monitor expenditure in everything we do to ensure you still have the correct and very best representation in every area including legal issues such as pension challenges and various other legal protections for the membership. Over the last 2 years Thompsons legal services have secured over £5 million in compensation for POA members where they keep 100 per cent of the compensation in personal injury claims. Further details will be promulgated in due course with regards to pension claim wins including injury to feelings for those POA members who registered claims.

Further headlines in the conference Paper 3 that have been accepted are;

Death Benefit: Increased from £5,000 to £5,600

POA Cars: Diesel cars to be replaced with electric cars with an identified saving of over £100,000 over a 4-year period.

After a 10 year period of hotel accommodation rate being London £90  per night this will increase to £150 per night, outside London the rate has increased from £60 per night to £100 per night. This is a significant increase for POA members when on official duties for the POA but is now set at a realistic rate given prices in 2022.

When POA members are on official business for the POA overnight subsistence is authorised by conference to increase from £30 to £36 for evening meals. Over 5s rising from £4.25 to £7, over 10s rising from £9.30 to £15 and abolishing the claims for over 12s.

Branch rebates for the sole purpose of monies held at each local branch to increase by a formula from the Office for National Statistics for Retail Price Index (RPI), Consumer Price Index (CPI) and average earnings.

NEC members who are not supplied with a car receive an allowance of £10,000. There has been no increase since 2014 and will now rise each year until 2024 by the Retail Price Index as identified each January by the Office of National Statistics.

Mileage for branch officials will remain at 45 pence per mile but if HMRC increase that amount then the POA will pass that on to branch officials and POA members who are requested to travel on POA business, or rail travel which ever is the cheapest method of travel.

NEC members who use their own vehicles will see an increase from the current 31 pence per mile to 35 pence per mile 

All these increases are effective from the close of Conference 20^th May 2022.

I am pleased we are able to continue to freeze subscription rates for review in May 2023. I also hope the increases when POA members and branch officials are on union business are welcomed by the membership and indeed the increase in death benefit is welcomed.

Thank you for continuing to be a member of the POA the only recognised trade union in England/Wales/Scotland and Northern Ireland for Unified Grades. These changes will see the POA Finance Manual and Rules and Constitution updated and indeed when that is complete they will be sent out to the membership for reference documents and placed on our POA website.

 

Yours sincerely

 

STEVE GILLAN
General Secretary