NEC must lead a serious campaign
We carry here an edited extract from a statement by the PCS Broad Left Network (BLN), the rank-and-file campaign group in the union, in which Socialist Party members participate.
On 7 February, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PCS civil service union met to discuss the impact of the national strike taken by 100,000 PCS members on 1 February. Rightly, the attitude of the NEC was positive, given the big turnout on pickets and demonstrations across the UK, and union members’ clear support for a fightback on pay, on pensions, on redundancy rights and for many other improvements.
Fiona Brittle, BLN supporter elected to the union’s NEC, voted for further action to be called on 28 February, 15 and 16 March, all of which are dates where coordination with other unions is possible, including teachers’ and lecturers’ unions in England, Wales and Scotland. Coordinated action would seriously raise the pressure exerted on the government, and has been under-developed by the current leadership of PCS.
However, it is not enough to simply call further dates. There must be a clear plan demonstrating the impact of well-supported strike action, explained to members across the union – in both those departments with strike mandates, and those which missed the Tory turnout threshold in the last vote and are now reballoting.
Fiona laid this out very clearly at the NEC, and voted with other NEC members who had named specific dates in April as well.
In addition to calling for proper exploratory work to be done to extend coordinated action, and for a serious campaign of national strike action be announced no later than 16 February, Fiona also renewed her demand that branches must be given access to members’ contact details. Home emails and phone numbers are essential, to reinforce attempts at mass engagement by our key activists in the branches.
This is certainly necessary as we approach the expiry of the union’s mandate on 7 May, six months after our ballot victory. The nearer this gets the more thoughts should be turning to reballoting, to including action short of strike action, and to making a serious case to members as to why they need to vote ‘yes’ to help us win our demands.
The NEC majority, led by the ‘Left Unity’ group, voted against all of the proposals made by Fiona to strengthen the national campaign, and opposed all dates for action except 15 March.
Broad Left Network supporters will throw themselves into building for the 15 March strike action.
