Serco AGM: damp but...

This morning a small band of rogue Serco shareholders disrupted the "business as usual" approach at the Annual General meeting, held in the QEII Conference Centre in central London.

Six women from Aldermaston Women's Peace Campaign, who each own a single share in Serco Group Plc, asked a series of difficult questions regading the dubious nature of much of Serco's "defence" business (something which accounts for 26% of the group's turnover). These were specicficaly oriented around the company's role in the joint venture comapny AWE-Ml which has a 25-year contract to manage AWEs Aldermaston and Burghfield, and the recent suggestions of Serco picking up one or more contracts in Iraq.

Questions were raised regarding the possible criminal negligence of directors and shareholders due to contracts which may, in future, be held to be unlawful or part of a criminal conspiracy (eg nuclear weapons or deals signed when under occupation, etc).

A question about how much anticipated profit Serco hope to make from the 25-year AWE contract was declined to be answered by directors, rebuffed as "commercially sensitive".

A sterling poetry intervention was made at one ponit, intended to get shareholders and directors to consider their personal role in war profitting. The Chair merely said "thankyou"!

Questions about Serco's involvement with reconstruction contracts in Iraq seemed to cause the most disquiet amongst directors and provoked the most vague responses.

AWPC will be back next year, to continue asking those annoying little questions and, hopefully, with a bigger and more visible presence outide the AGM. Perhaps next year the sun will shine!