In the notice on the PCS website, the NEC claims that it can suspend the NEC elections for a maximum of 12 months.

We assume that the leadership has taken legal advice on this matter but the fact is that in announcing the “suspension” of the NEC and GEC elections the General Secretary and the President omitted to state under which Principle Rule the NEC has made this decision. Indeed they have also failed to explain whether this claimed power is merely one that enables the NEC to suspend elections for up to 12 months or whether it is entitled to suspend elections (and Annual Delegate Conference as they also considered) for years. In other words when they say they are suspending elections for up to 12 months are they saying as benevolent dictators that they promise to suspend for more than 12 months, or do they believe they cannot suspend the elections for any longer under the rules.? If it is the former, then obviously another crisis could hit the union and the current leadership could say it is necessary to suspend the elections for longer than 12 months.

We await with excitement an explanation of both the constitutional basis of the NEC’s decision and the limits of its apparent and hitherto unsuspected constitutional power. In the meantime we simply note that Principle Rule 9 states, “The NEC shall be elected annually”.

Let members have a vote!!