Katrine Williams, PCS member
In this year’s PCS leadership elections, the ruling Democracy Alliance leadership, made up of the ‘Left Unity’ group and the PCS Democrats, will face a unified left opposition.
The Broad Left Network (BLN), supported by Socialist Party members, and the Independent Left (IL), in a hugely significant step, have issued an agreed platform and unified slate to fight the elections.
Local PCS branches, at their annual general meetings in February through to early March, will nominate candidates. We urge support for the BLN and IL joint slate, headed by Socialist Party member Marion Lloyd for president.
The general record of the present leadership, and in particular the failure to act decisively in implementing and escalating action over pay, defence of jobs, and other issues, has convinced many members and union activists that they need to go.
It’s clear from recent elections that the BLN and IL together have enough support to replace the current leadership, and they are aware of this. They will attack us with scurrilous accusations in a desperate attempt to cling to power.
Our opponents will call us out for criticising them and seeking to replace them in the midst of the pay campaign. Our answer is that we are standing to win these elections. We want a leadership capable of building and implementing a strategy to win the pay campaign. If in the meantime, by standing, we act as a pressure on the leadership to conduct the dispute properly, that can only be a good thing.
We give total support to PCS members taking action and support the union’s pay and jobs demands, while at the same time we make clear our view that national action could and should have been taken much earlier than 1 February, and we need to escalate the action to win.
As for campaigning to replace them, well that surely is the point of elections – it’s called democracy!
Our opponents will accuse us of ‘opportunism’, due to BLN and IL agreeing a platform and unified slate. There is nothing opportunistic about us joining together to oust a leadership whose policies we disagree with and in which we have no confidence. BLN and IL have a shared view of what needs to be done to win this fight with the government on pay and jobs, and to defend union democracy, and we are seeking support for our joint slate around this agreed platform.
Our opponents should remember their leadership is based on an electoral pact between two groups, Left Unity and the PCS Democrats. They would much prefer the opposition to them to be divided. Well this year, that’s not going to happen.
We can win on pay and jobs. Support the selective strikers and the levy, escalate the national action, ballot for action short of strikes. Make Budget Day a day of coordinated action – all out on 15 March!
“l send solidarity to all strikers across the movement, in particular PCS members. The Tories’ response to the cost-of-living crisis and the strikes is more anti-union legislation. The TUC must prepare the maximum coordinated industrial action, up to and including a 24-hour general strike, to defeat any new anti-union laws.
Marion Lloyd, BLN chair
“Our union needs a new leadership, with a fresh approach. This can be achieved by supporting the unified slate of candidates agreed by the Broad Left Network and the Independent Left”
Broad Left Network’s appeal for nominations
Action not words – a leadership to win!
We are in the middle of a major dispute with our employer. It is vital we have a leadership which will build our campaign, with a strategy capable of winning. The Broad Left Network and the Independent Left have come together to do just that.
Together we will:
- Support the strikes
- Develop a serious escalating programme of national, targeted and selective strike action to beat the Tory cost-of-living squeeze and the anti-union laws, including action short of strikes, to maximise the pressure on the government
- Ensure that PCS takes the lead in calling for mass coordinated action
- Strengthen democracy and accountability, including extending elections to include full-time officers and bringing their pay more in line with the members they represent
President
Marion Lloyd – BEIS
Vice Presidents
Fiona Brittle – Scottish Government
Bryan Carlsen – HSE
Bev Laidlaw – DWP
Jon-Paul Rosser – HMRC
NEC members
Dave Bartlett – MOJ
Tom Bishell – DWP
Rob Bowers – Defence
Fiona Brittle – Scottish Government
Alex Brown – Health Group
Sarah Brown – Met Police
Bryan Carlsen – HSE
Josh Chown – Home Office
Eleanor Clarke – Cabinet Office
Chris Day – National Archives
Alan Dennis – Defence
Nick Doyle – HMRC
Matt Exley – Culture
Chip Hamer – Culture
Rachel Heemskerk – DWP
Karen Johnson – DLUHC
David Jones – DLUHC
Bev Laidlaw – DWP
Marion Lloyd – BEIS
Chris Marks – DWP
Vijay Menezes-Jackson DWP
Nick Parker – Acas
Rob Ritchie – Shared Service Commercial Sector
Jon-Paul Rosser – HMRC
Dave Semple – DWP
Gary Spencer – DLUHC
Saorsa-Amatheia Tweedale – DWP
Paul Suter – DWP
Victoria Cuckson – HMRC
Colin Young – Education
