Now we organise to win
PCS Broad Left Network
PCS will be balloting from 20 October to 1 December for national industrial action. The ballot for action is in support of the union’s demands on pay, jobs and conditions – demands which cannot be met by the 3.5% government-imposed pay remit – only 2% of which is funded.
If we want more money we will have to fight for it.
The task now is to turn the decision into the biggest possible organising campaign across PCS and deliver the turnout and ‘Yes’ vote we need to take effective national action.
PCS demands a 10% pay rise, an £18-an-hour minimum civil service wage and appropriate London weighting. Low pay and the erosion of differentials continue to plague the civil service, with increases in the legal minimum wage repeatedly catching up with the lowest civil service grades. The government’s 3.5% civil service pay remit does not meet those demands.
We are also demanding a job security agreement, including protection against compulsory redundancies. Tens of thousands of jobs are potentially at stake. The Institute for Government estimates that around 40,000 civil service jobs could disappear by 2029, and other significant budget cuts across departments could lead to 72,000 job losses by the end of the decade.
We are fighting for our pensions, against attacks on terms and conditions, and against arbitrary office-attendance requirements, which can cost members hundreds of pounds a month simply to travel to work.
Coordinate with others
The millions of workers who run government departments, schools, colleges, hospitals, councils and other public services possess enormous collective power. Where different groups of workers are fighting over the same fundamental issues, the trade union movement should seek the maximum possible coordination of campaigns and industrial action.
A strong ‘Yes’ vote in PCS, alongside successful ballots elsewhere in the public sector, would strengthen every worker fighting against falling living standards. We will be discussing coordinated action capable of forcing the government to move.
The NEC also agreed that members will be consulted on the question of a levy to fund targeted strike action and for longer-term requirements. The National Disputes Committee will set the dates for membership consultation. The Broad Left Network (BLN) firmly believes that members should have their say on the future of the levy and how we properly resource industrial action.
Between now and 20 October, PCS needs to build organising campaigns in every branch: cleaning membership data, recruiting new members and reps, holding workplace meetings and systematically speaking to members about why they need to vote ‘Yes’.
Once ballot papers land, every part of the union must be focused on beating the legal 50% turnout threshold and delivering the strongest possible ‘Yes’ vote. BLN members on the NEC will continue to push for reps to have the resources of the national union thrown behind them.
- Ballot papers will be sent electronically, unless members are in Northern Ireland or do not have a valid email address
- Socialist Party members play a key role in the PCS Broad Left Network which, in a coalition alongside others, forms a left majority on the PCS NEC. BLN supporters have fought hard for this ballot to take place
