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Marion Lloyd

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From: The Socialist issue 973, 29 November 2017: Make the Tories history

Search site for keywords: PCS - Union - Pay - Public sector - Government - Marion Lloyd - Civil Service

PCS union says no to pay misery

PCS members demonstrating, photo Paul Mattsson (Click to enlarge)

Marion Lloyd, chair, PCS Left Unity (personal capacity)

It will take a determined, united campaign from all public sector workers to break the government's refusal to fund decent pay levels for public sector workers.

Earlier this year, civil service union PCS put its pay demands to the government:

end the pay cap now
fund above-inflation increases of 5% or £1,200, whichever is greater
for a living minimum hourly wage of £10 for all, including government contract workers

The negative response to this claim from the government led PCS to renew calls at the 2017 TUC congress for coordinated industrial action across the public sector.

It led also to a PCS consultative ballot asking members to reaffirm opposition to the pay cap and indicate support for strike action.

Members gave a massive boost to the union's pay campaign with 98.9% voting to scrap the pay cap and 79.2% supporting industrial action. With a 48.8% turnout, PCS is on course to win a statutory ballot for action.

Other public sector unions are considering their position, with a number proposing to hold similar consultative ballots. This is to be welcomed - and they need to get on with it.

United, coordinated action on pay, culminating in a mass demonstration early in the new year, could pave the way to ending public sector pay misery.

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.