IN THE elections for the National Executive Committee (NEC) and senior
full-time officers in the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), the left
won almost a clean sweep when the results were announced on 24 May.
Socialist Party member Chris Baugh won the election for assistant deputy
general secretary. This was the first time this post was ever put up for
election, as a result of rule changes introduced by the left majority last
year.
Janice Godrich was re-elected union president and six other Socialist Party
members were also elected to the NEC.
Left Unity, the union’s broad left, were swept back into office as part of
their election platform with the democrats, against the remnants of the
‘moderates’ faction.
This is the first time in decades that the left have been re-elected. Under
the left’s leadership the union has recruited thousands of new members,
including 10,000 in the Department for Work and Pensions.
The union leadership showed in action that the old right-wing policies of
class collaboration were a thing of the past. They created confidence amongst
PCS members in their fight-back against New Labour’s attacks on their wages,
jobs and working conditions.
The PCS has become a major thorn in Tony Blair’s side as he tries to carry
through his programme of counter-reforms in the public sector.
The union will now have to gear up at an even greater rate than ever before
if these attacks are to be repelled. But the left’s re-election shows the
membership is willing to fight.
