Civil service union PCS conference

On the public sector front line

THE PUBLIC and Commercial Services union (PCS) conference meeting
last week in Brighton was notable in many ways. But what stood out for
me was its vitality and youthfulness, compared to many other union
conferences that I have attended over the years.

Bill Mullins, Socialist Party Industrial Organiser

One measure of its role and the effect that it had on those attending
is that, unlike other conferences, most of the delegates were in their
seats throughout.

Delegates from the rostrum and in conversation commented that before
the left won control of the union three years ago, the conference was
known for the hostility of the delegates to the platform. From time to
time there were differences in emphasis but the delegates generally
agreed with the policies being proposed by the platform.

The mood was not one of slavish adherence to the line but instead
recognition that the battles the union has against the government
require the most serious attention to strategy and tactics.

The right wing was silent throughout the conference. The anti-group
group, The Socialist Caucus, completely failed to judge the mood of the
conference and ploughed on regardless with their own agenda, getting
trounced in the process.

On the pensions issue the PCS executive had played a leading role in
mobilising their members to prepare to strike on 23 March, along with
seven other public-sector unions.

UNISON local government workers were due to have major detrimental
changes imposed upon their pension entitlements from April this year.
Changes to civil servants’ pensions were not due until April 2006. But
the opportunity to unite with other public sector workers was seized and
the PCS successfully balloted their members to take strike action
alongside council workers.

It was this momentum and the threat of 1.5 million workers coming
out, which forced the government to back down – mainly to stop the
embarrassment of strikes during a general election.

When all other unions pronounced that there was no need for a strike
now the government had retreated (albeit temporarily) then the PCS also
called off their strike rather than be isolated.

Opposition

Socialist Caucus delegates attempted to condemn the leadership for
doing this, saying that it wasn’t only pensions that were the issue but
also jobs and pay. Therefore the strike should have gone ahead anyway
even if it was just the PCS by itself. They were completely isolated and
received no more than couple of dozen votes amongst the thousand or so
delegates.

Mark Serwotka, in a faultless explanation of the tactics adopted by
the leadership, explained that whilst all three issues of pensions, jobs
and pay were inextricably linked, pensions was the issue the members had
been balloted over.

The greatest difficulty was keeping together the public-sector unions
in a united front against the attacks.

How difficult this is proving to be was shown when some of the other
public-sector unions drew up a strategy paper on pensions.

The PCS in particular was astonished to find that there was no
mention of the increase in the retirement age from 60 to 65 – the one
issue that is supposed to unite all the unions!

TUC leadership then amended the document to include this vital
question.

The PCS will continue to campaign for the maximum unity of the
public-sector unions but may have no choice but to fight alone in
defence of its own members.

Other issues that were discussed at the conference included the
adoption of the principle that union officials should be elected and not
just the senior officials as is the case now. And that full-time
officers’ salaries should reflect the wages of those they negotiate for.

This last point is obviously very controversial and the union
leadership were at pains to explain that the practical application of
this was some time away.

Meanwhile the voluntarist approach of union officials donating back
to the union a part of their salary should continue. Both Mark Serwotka
and Chris Baugh, the assistant general secretary, do this at the moment.

An important milestone was also passed by the conference in adopting
the policy on abortion of: "a woman’s right to choose." Julie
Kelly moved the main motion, explaining that the adoption of a
"pro-choice" policy would bring the union in line with most
other unions. It would allow PCS delegates at other conferences to vote
for these policies, rather than being hamstrung by having no policy at
all.

This conference marked a coming of age of the union. An awareness
that the union is now seen as a beacon of combativeness and
determination to defend its members is widespread through the new layers
of activists.