PCS members in action, photo Paul Mattsson

PCS members in action, photo Paul Mattsson   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Marion Lloyd, PCS national executive committee member (personal capacity) and PCS Left Unity chair

Ballot papers for the PCS civil service union national executive committee and group elections will start arriving on 20 April.

The past month or so has been annual general meeting time for PCS branches. Feedback indicates solid support for Left Unity motions to the annual delegate conference in May on the major issues facing PCS members.

Nominations for the 2018-19 national executive committee indicate continued support for the current Left Unity (Democracy Alliance) PCS leadership.

Vital period

There are seven Socialist Party members on the Democracy Alliance slate, (a joint PCS Democrat-Left Unity slate). This includes Janice Godrich for president and Fran Heathcote for vice-president. This period is vital for preparations.

Branch committees should meet to agree recommendations to members for the Democracy Alliance slate.

Branches should prepare plans for leafletting their own members and adjacent branches where there is no Left Unity presence.

Branch membership records should be prepared and arrangements made for reps to contact members when the ballot starts to encourage them to use their vote and to vote for the Democracy Alliance slate.

The Easter holiday break will have eaten away at the time available to prepare for the ballot. Preparations should start now if they haven’t already.

The Left Unity website will carry full information on the ballot and materials issued by the Democracy Alliance.

Left Unity (Democracy Alliance) is standing for re-election on its record – making PCS a fighting, democratic union. But it’s also a question of electing a leadership which will stand up to the many challenges we face.

Immediate among these is the campaign for the union’s pay demands of 5% a year increase with a return to central bargaining.