Month: Aug 2019

General Election Now

The decision by the Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson to suspend parliament lays bare how quickly the Tories and their supporters will ditch democracy when it suits them. This move is nothing more than an undemocratic manoeuvre designed to over-rule elected MP’s and force through either a Johnson Brexit deal or no deal at all.  Ironic, given the Prime Minister has been elected by less than 0.25% of the electorate.

The PCS Broad Left Network believes that Jeremy Corbyn and the whole of the Trade Union movement need to urgently launch a mass campaign to force an immediate General Election.  It is crucial that we grab the moment and build on the demonstrations which took place in the wake of Johnson’s announcement.

PCS has a pivotal role to play in this and the union must now use the opportunity it gives to lead the call for a General Election and the return of a Corbyn led government on an anti-austerity programme. The fact that the current General Secretary Mark Serwotka is the President of the TUC should be used to pivotal effect to the advantage of not only PCS members but for working class families the length and breadth of the UK to mobilise workers and build support for the demand for an immediate General Election. The TUC congress in less than a fortnight could become a real call to arms for this demand across our movement. The intervention from PCS could be decisive and needs to be the subject of discussion at the National Executive that meets next week.

PCS must pull out all the stops to support Jeremy Corbyn’s intention to institute a vote of no-confidence in the Tory government of Boris Johnson, to force a general election and campaign for a Corbyn-led Labour Government on an anti-austerity programme.

We do not support the attempts by politicians to support a ‘national unity’ government led by right wing Labour politicians, Tories or Independents.  The capitalist establishment support this as they fear that anything led by Jeremy Corbyn may lead to an elected Corbyn government which would act against austerity and in the interests of working people including thousands of Civil Service and public sector workers. A so-called “national unity” government not led by Corbyn would act in the interests of big business and capitalism.

It is crucial now that the TUC and the unions mobilise to build on the protests breaking out all over the country, demonstrations for a general election and for a government to be elected with a clear anti-austerity programme , including the repeal of anti-Trade Union laws.

It is only the trade union movement, mobilised for a general election, which can really  unite working people by cutting through the fog that right wing politicians and media have created over Brexit. We can reclaim the ground to put forward our demands about fighting for decent jobs, pay and conditions and our services to help win the implementation of an anti-austerity programme to benefit thousands of working class families including PCS members.

School Student Strikes: Climate Change

The response from students across the world to climate change is inspirational. The Trade Union movement has a key role to link together the issues for workers, youth and broader society and build on the lead already given.

The evidence is now compelling that global warming and extreme weather events are linked to climate change. Since the first earth summit in Rio in 1992, the emission of greenhouse gases have actually increased. Capitalist governments have shown themselves incapable of the decisive and radical action needed. It is capitalism itself that has shown itself to be the obstacle to the scale and pace of change needed to end our reliance upon the burning of fossil fuels and move to a zero carbon economy by 2050.

Trade unions need to heed the call for action raised by the inspirational and global school student strikes and the peaceful civil disobedience of the Extinction Rebellion protests we saw in London.

The Broad left Network believes climate change is a trade union issue. The Earth’s temperature has already risen by one degree above pre-industrial levels. The Autumn IPCC report warned we have 12 years to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees. Carbon emissions need to be cut by 45% by 2030 to reach zero carbon by 2050 in order to avoid a dangerous tipping point. It is clear to all rational people, unfortunately that doesn’t apply to the current occupant of the Oval Office, that the future of our planet is at risk if we don’t organise now to force governments to cut emissions in line with the IPCC Report.

The Broad Left Network believe PCS and trade unions in UK must use their collective power to win support for the decisive action needed.

We stand for;

* Statutory rights for Green workplace reps and Trade Union led environmental risk assessments in every workplace.

* Machinery of government changes to ensure the Civil Service is ready to deliver environmental policies as part of a National Climate Service.

* Tax Justice to fund the investment, clean transport, energy efficiency measures and training programmes that can help create millions of new, skilled, unionised jobs while cutting greenhouse emissions.

*Build on the Lucas Plan, One million Climate Jobs, Just Transition: A civil service perspective and many other initiatives across the world to set out plans for a Just Transition that places the interests of workers and trade unionists at its centre.

* To campaign alongside Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, TUC affiliates and the Labour leadership for the public ownership and democratic control of Energy from the community, municipal to the government and global level.

* Strengthen the links between the trade union and environmental movement in UK and globally through joint campaigns, protests, peaceful civil disobedience and strikes to mobilise support for the system change needed.

* Support the call for a global climate strike on 20 September 2019 linking school students and trade unionists across the world.

* PCS support for the UCU call for a 30 minute stoppage on the 20 September 2019 and lobby the TUC to call for a nation- wide stoppage with actions in and outside workplaces and protests across towns and cities in the UK.

If you’d like to get involved with the Broad Left Network, please get in touch via our contact page. Thanks.

LU General Secretary Nomination: Where We Stand

LU General Secretary Election – Where we stand

The Broad Left Network (BLN) is an open group formed recently by socialists within Left Unity who want to ensure that both Left Unity and PCS are run in an open democratic manner, by the members, for the members on a fighting, democratic socialist programme

GS Election Arrangements are Unacceptable

We supported Marion Lloyd in the LU election to be the LU General Secretary candidate. Marion received a number of nominations but has withdrawn from the election. This is because of the way the election is being run by the LUNC majority. The election is not fair, is not democratic and is not being run in accordance with LU rules and long-established practices: –

* Individuals arbitrarily removed from membership and from participation in this election. 

* Candidates not being required to undertake to “recommend and campaign” for the successful candidate in line with rule 12.1 – Mark Serwotka has made it clear he will stand no matter what.

* Email voting brought in after the start of the nomination process to help the candidate supported by the LUNC majority. This is a new voting   arrangement not previously used, not agreed by the LU membership and not even put to the full LUNC. To change the voting arrangements in this way, after the election has already started is undemocratic and unprecedented. We have no trust in this LU election which is being run by the LUNC majority in a way that benefits their candidate. 

Two Candidates to Choose From

With Marion Lloyd’s withdrawal LU members will have two candidates to choose from – Hector Wesley and Mark Serwotka. 

As General Secretary for over 20 years Mark Serwotka has increasingly centralised power and decision making, with a consequential weakening of elected lay rep control of the union. We are opposed to this. Additionally, there are a number of other issues which we disagree with him over, including pay strategy, organising, gender recognition rights and political strategy.

Mark Serwotka, a member of Left Unity, decided to back non-LU member Lynn Henderson for AGS against Chris Baugh, the official Left Unity candidate. This raises questions about whether he is actually eligible to stand inside Left Unity to become the official LU candidate.  His campaign against the official LU candidate, Chris Baugh, led to a split in the LU vote and an AGS victory for the Independent Left candidate. 

As a long-standing lay rep within PCS, Hector Wesley understands the need for lay control. He supports Left Unity, stands for inclusivity, and is not in agreement with the way in which LU is being run by the LUNC.

Given the choice between Mark Serwotka and Hector Wesley the BLN understands if those who supported Marion Lloyd in this election wish to vote for Hector Wesley – as a protest about the way the SV/SWP have abused their majority position on the LUNC to corrupt the election and to oppose the increasing centralisation of power and decision making in the union under Mark Serwotka. 

The Fight Goes On 

The election for the LU GS candidate has once again – as it did with the AGS election – shown how far the SV/SWP supporters have taken LU from its traditions as a fighting, democratic and inclusive rank and file organisation. Under their control LU has become an extension of the PCS bureaucracy, with no room for genuine discussion and differences. We are opposed to these developments and those responsible.

Support the BLN

In the months ahead we’ll be continuing to put forward positive proposals for taking the left and socialist ideas in PCS forward on a whole range of issue including Pay, Equality, Organising/Bargaining, Democracy, Climate Change and political strategy.

We remain determined to rebuild a left and a left unity based on a fighting campaigning programme to put us in the best position to protect jobs, pay and conditions. Part of this must be to support policies and work to stop the centralisation of power and ensure that our union is run and controlled by lay members and support candidates who we believe will fight for these ideas.

Pay Campaign: Next Steps

The Senior Lay Reps Forum called for the 6th August meets at an important time. It can be the platform for continuing the national pay campaign in 2019 and preparing the ground for a successful national ballot in the future. The latest national pay ballot recorded the biggest ever vote in favour of industrial action. This was testament to the strenuous efforts of PCS reps and the anger of members towards the continued pay cap. The failure to achieve the legal threshold of 50% has been exploited by the employer. A further year of pay restraint has been imposed on the civil service and related areas. Departments are being encouraged to trade pay increases above the cap in return for further attacks upon terms and conditions. The government has announced a relaxation of the pay cap for many parts of the public sector, including the Senior Civil Service, but not for the overwhelming majority of civil servants. The contempt shown towards their own employees has caused a real anger amongst PCS members.

Conference in May debated pay at some length. The NEC motion was narrowly carried after a card vote but many reservations were raised about the failure to achieve the 50% in two successive ballots and the need for PCS to consider all tactics that can help us secure a legal mandate in future. The degree to which PCS decides to carry out aggregated or disaggregated votes is a tactical question and should be considered in future ballots. It should be noted that had PCS conducted disaggregated ballots in 2019 a significant number of employer groups would now have a legal mandate to fight on pay. These include HMRC, HMCTS, Rural Payments Agency, Land Registry, DVSA, Natural England, Health and Safety Executive, ACAS, Official Solicitor and 11 other important NDPBs which constitute a significant proportion of PCS members balloted.

The Senior Lay Reps Forum is a chance to receive reports from delegated areas but more importantly, to discuss how PCS nationally can both support and actively coordinate a response in the 2019 pay round. Groups facing increases in line with the pay cap and attempts by the employer to link pay to attacks on conditions need to be consulting members to reject and support action. The example set by members in MOJ gives confidence we can resist these further attacks on conditions. The NEC will need to work closely with groups and national branches in consulting members and continuing to apply the maximum pressure in 2019.

We need to prepare a further national ballot that increases our chances of winning the legal mandate we need to break the cap, resist attacks on terms and conditions and restore our right to bargain pay with the government. This should include the option of disaggregated ballots where the group and branch consider it will increase the turnout and vote for action. In view of the continued attacks upon jobs and offices in a number of major departments and the further and latest threat to redundancy payments and pensions, it is blindingly obvious we need to ensure any future national ballot links pay to these other vital members issues.

It is an abiding weakness in our national pay campaign message that we have yet to draw up and present a clear programme of national, targeted and sustained industrial action that can be supported by a levy from members and financed from the Fighting Fund. This work needs to be completed in readiness for a future national ballot.

Rebuilding our organisation from the workplace up is fundamental to preparing the ground for winning a legal mandate. This needs to complement the strategy highlighted above. PCS needs to work as closely as possible with other civil service unions to register our objection to a further year of pay cuts for civil servants and work on joint campaign activities wherever possible. We also need to use the platform we have at the TUC, STUC and WTUC to build for the coordinated campaign and industrial action of public sector unions in line with TUC congress policy.

The Broad Left Network welcomes this vital discussion at the Senior Lay Reps Forum. With an open and honest assessment of where we are, we can maintain pressure on pay in 2019 and prepare the ground to win the decisive legal mandate vital for reversing the decline in members pay and winning the union’s demands.