Right-wing challenger to Mark Serwotka bottles it

Submitted by AWL on 1 December, 2009 - 9:34

Rob Bryson is contesting the post of General Secretary of the PCS (civil service workers') union against the current incumbent Mark Serwotka.

He is standing on a platform of:

  • apolitical trade unionism; “If elected, I will ensure the PCS officials, whose wages you pay, focus 100% on core trade union issues not far-left campaigns";
  • red baiting; “Mark Serwotka’s extremist politics and alliances damage the union’s credibility"; and
  • capitulation; “I believe that we must seek a partnership with Government and will have to make difficult choices to preserve jobs and conditions for Civil Servants” (all quotes from Mr Bryson’s election address).

You might have thought that with such a message to sell that he would relish selling it; nothing could be further from the truth.

The PCS Independent Left arranged a London hustings between Mr Bryson and Mark Serwotka. Whilst the General Secretary was willing to attend Mr Bryson declined stating that he was only interested in talking to real members not left activists.

Given this, it was strange when invited to address “real” members in the Communities, and Local Government (CLG) branch in London he also turned down that chance as well. Again Mark Serwotka was willing to speak.

The reason for this is that although Mr Bryson can write that “we must seek a partnership with Government” (though to be fair to him it is highly unlikely he actually wrote his own elections address), that position is very difficult to explain to “real” members who know that the only deal this Government or a Tory one is looking for is a massive cut in staffing numbers and pay and conditions. Mr Bryson knows he cannot sell this so he does not try.

Comments

Submitted by Matthew on Wed, 02/12/2009 - 09:37

It's obvious whose votes Bryson is pitching for - indeed he admitted it to me in a conversation I had with him a few years ago after he'd left the SWP and was standing as a right-wing candidate in group elections. It's the 'scab vote', the votes of PCS members who have worked through the (very infrequent) one or two-day strikes called by the 'left leadership' and can now salve their consciences by voting for a candidate who pretty much tells them they were right to do so. There is not much mileage for him therefore in appearing before meetings of militant reps and members.

I too doubt he wrote his election address or even cares what's in it: he has gone from being a ultra-left, ultra-keen young SWP puppy and embarrassing Serwotka groupie to an aspiring bureaucrat. When I challenged him on his first 'red baiting' leaflet, he claimed not to believe a word of it and that it was all 'playing to the gallery'. I think that may be true this time as well.

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