The Socialist 17 October 2018

Tories’ Brexit bust-up - general Election Now

Tories' Brexit bust-up - general election now

Universal credit = universal misery

New anti-poll tax type revolt needed today

Homeless driven from Windsor streets for royal wedding: abolish the monarchy and end homelessness now!

Toxic fracking gets the go-ahead while protesters jailed

No to fat-cat top judges' £59k pay hike - fight for decent pay for criminal justice workers

Tory and Trump hypocrisy over murder of Saudi Arabian journalist

Fully fund mental health services now

PCS union: nominate Chris Baugh as Left Unity candidate for assistant general secretary

Striking Brum home carers reject 'final' pay cut offer

South Western rail workers launch five-day safety strike to save guards

Uber drivers strike against unfair 'deactivation' and low pay

Bolton hospital workers strike

Grimethorpe dinner ladies stage all-out strike against redundancy

Cable makers' pay strike bites as production falls 33%

Newham finance staff fight pay and grading insult

Libres y Combativas: striking for women's rights in the Spanish state

The renewed relevance of Engels' classic Socialism: Utopian and Scientific

Demo against far-right DFLA

Socialism - the podcast offering Marxist analysis for the movement against capitalism

'Corbyn-council' faces a choice: Implement or fight the cuts

Devon foster carers fight 30% cut in allowances

De Montfort freshers stall

Peterloo film exposes bloody nature of capitalism

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PCS union: nominate Chris Baugh as Left Unity candidate for assistant general secretary

Chris Baugh out supporting PCS members on strike (Click to enlarge)

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

The left in the PCS union, PCS Left Unity, has started the democratic process to agree its programme for the union, and who will stand on the Left Unity ticket for the PCS 2019 national elections.

Meetings to agree nominations and motions are taking place until 26 October. These will be followed by voting meetings during November, culminating in the national Left Unity conference on 1 December.

A key issue will be who the Left Unity candidate is for the union's assistant general secretary (AGS).

Socialist Party member Chris Baugh is up for re-election. He has been the Left Unity candidate on three successive occasions since 2004, and won the union's election each time.

Chris is being challenged by Janice Godrich, the union's president. This challenge was started and is actively supported by the general secretary, Mark Serwotka, supposedly because of personal dislike and alleged inability to work with Chris.

But as the election process within PCS Left Unity has got under way, the 'justification' for standing against Chris has turned into a campaign of slurs, half-truths and distortions.

Chris Baugh's campaign is supported by the 'Re-elect Chris for AGS' campaign. Its focus is a programme which sets out what is needed to defend members.

Ballot tactics

A key example is pay and conditions. The 2018 pay strike ballot, despite a massive campaign and huge effort, fell short of the 50% turnout required under the Tories' vicious anti-union laws.

The response by Mark Serwotka, Janice Godrich and their supporters is inadequate - effectively, they want to do the same again in 2019, but be better organised and ballot earlier.

In contrast, we have called for a special delegate conference on pay, to draw on the experience of activists in 2018 and determine PCS's approach in 2019.

Key questions should be discussed. Should we consider 'disaggregated' ballots of each department - similar to the University and College Union, which delivered a successful national strike ballot? Should we include other issues like office closures, jobs and conditions - similar to the Communication Workers Union, which also delivered a successful national strike ballot?

Our opponents have called our suggestions, put forward at the September meeting of the PCS national executive committee, "wrecking" amendments. Now they are part of the union's national 'consultation'!

We want a full and democratic debate involving reps and members so we can prepare for a 2019 pay campaign on the strongest basis.

On union democracy, we stand for the election of all key full-time officers. On equality, we stand for the removal of all barriers which divide workers.

On political representation, we support the election of a Corbyn-led anti-austerity government, but with PCS maintaining its political independence. On PCS Left Unity itself, we stand for building a campaigning, rank-and-file organisation that defends and strengthens the lay democracy the left has fought so hard for.

Please visit the 'Re-elect Chris Baugh AGS' Facebook page and blog for more details of our programme and the full slate.

And at the Left Unity nomination meetings, please nominate and support the candidates below. This is a part of a slate which leaves places open to other candidates, indicating our willingness to work united with others in Left Unity, in the interests of our members and against government attacks.

National PCS elections

Nomination for Left Unity candidate for AGS: Chris Baugh

Nominations for Left Unity slate for the PCS national executive committee...

President: Marion Lloyd
NEC: Clive Bryant, Alan Dennis, Steve Thorley, Kris Hendry, Rhea James, John Jamieson, Tahir Latif, Marion Lloyd, Kenny McKay, Dave Semple, Hector Wesley, Katrine Williams