PCS

Public & Commercial Services Union - trade union for civil servants

Cuts, pay, Ukraine: issues at PCS conference

Civil service union PCS is holding its first real-world annual delegate conference since 2019 (24-26 May, Brighton), though it’s a hybrid: many delegates will still attend virtually. PCS is a left-wing union in general terms, but one with no strategy to break out of years of managed decline. Workers’ Liberty will be working with comrades in PCS Independent Left and other left-wing activists to use the conference to help seriously shift the union, into fighting, organising mode. Sector group conferences take place before the national one. The conference for the largest sector, the Department of...

A full ballot on pay (John Moloney's column)

The Annual Delegate Conference (ADC) of our union, PCS, takes place from 24 to 26 May in Brighton. The National Executive Committee (NEC) has submitted an emergency motion which, if accepted and passed, would commit the union to move to a statutory industrial action ballot over the cost-of-living crisis later this year. I strongly support the proposal to commit to a statutory ballot, though I recognise that we need a democratic discussion as to who is in the ballot. Group conferences for each of the areas in which PCS organises take place alongside the ADC. Our biggest group, the Department...

Pushbacks defeated: now beat new anti-refugee law

The government has dropped plans to forcibly turn around small refugee boats in the Channel. The climbdown came days before a legal challenge by the PCS trade union and migrants’ rights organisations was due to reach court. Active involvement by PCS — the union representing many workers who would have been carrying out the policy — was very positive. Even more important was their threat to block pushbacks by industrial action. This victory is a spark of hope in an otherwise dark situation. The government’s anti-refugee Nationality and Borders Act became law on 28 April. Refugees will now be...

Funnel anger into vote

This week [starting 18 April] the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our union, PCS, has to decide whether the union should later this year head towards a statutory ballot over the cost of living crisis. This is on the back of the consultative vote which gave an overwhelming “yes” to industrial action and in support of the pay claim, but fell short of achieving a 50% turnout. Now in my opinion, the NEC should agree to move towards a statutory ballot. Firstly, the continuing squeeze on living standards will intensify over the coming months, putting intense pressure on all our members but...

Stop Tory offshore asylum ploy

Refugees and asylum-seekers hold up banners during a protest at the Manus Island immigration detention centre in Papua New Guinea On 13 April, the government announced a raft of anti-refugee measures, including a deal to remove many asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda. It is even worse than a plan to outsource processing of refugees to offshore detention camps. It will deport them to Rwanda to claim asylum there, allowing them no possibility of settling in Britain. Other announcements include putting operations relating to small refugee boats in the Channel under military command, and a new...

Next steps on pay (John Moloney's column)

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of our union, PCS, will shortly be discussing the next steps in the union’s fight over pay and other cost-of-living issues, on the basis of a full analysis of our recent consultative ballot, broken down to workplace level. The NEC will consider whether to move to a statutory ballot, and if so, over what timescale. Clearly, doing nothing is not an option. The context for the NEC’s discussions is the cost-of-living crisis, which will continue to affect PCS members. It’s vital the union gives a lead and empowers members to fight back. I believe we need to...

From fear to fightback (John Moloney's column)

We need to learn from the result of our consultative ballot over cost-of-living issues. We will be able to break the data down to workplace and branch levels, and the places with higher rates of return will give us an indication of where we have stronger organisation. Around 70,000 members took part in the ballot, but that includes those who voted electronically and postally, as we have some members for whom we don’t have email addresses. As can be imagined, amongst those who voted electronically we had a higher turnout. It’s clear we didn’t sufficiently energise our activist base in this...

DWP plans 40 office closures

On 21 March the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced over 40 office closures. This will lead to massive redundancies, but, let’s be absolutely clear, it is not a “surprising announcement”. The union knew about the vast majority of these closures in 2017 when the employer announced immediate and transitional closure tranches. They refused to start an industrial campaign. Those of us in the Independent Left on the Group Executive of the PCS union at the time warned that the employer were closing offices in tranches to limit industrial opposition and a joint response. We called for...

PCS gets 45% turnout, 81% yes

Members of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) have voted by an 80.7% majority for industrial action over a range of cost-of-living issues, including pay and pensions, in their union’s consultative ballot. The turnout was 45%. As Solidarity went to press on 22 March, the union’s National Executive Committee was discussing next steps, which will likely involve assessing the picture of union organisation revealed by the ballot and determining the most effective way to move towards a statutory ballot, possibly disaggregated across different departments. A union statement said: “The...

Vote Independent Left in PCS

Nominations for the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Group Executive Committee (GEC) elections in the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) closed on Thursday 10 March. Workers’ Liberty supporters in the PCS are part of Independent Left (IL). The other main groups in the union are Left Unity (LU), the dominant leadership faction, for many years run as an alliance between general secretary Mark Serwotka and the Socialist Party, and the Broad Left Network (BLN), the Socialist Party’s new vehicle created after they fell out with Serwotka and split from LU. All three networks – IL, LU...

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