On 21st and 22nd July 2021, the union’s Group Executive Committee in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) met to discuss significant issues faced by union members. Key issues included the general safety of staff as pandemic restrictions begin to relax, the specific safety dispute in Jobcentres and the recent final offer from DWP on pay.
Broad Left Network supporters believe in a fighting, democratic trade union that is led by and in the interest of members, so we take these meetings very seriously. Any papers due to be debated are scrutinised at length to make sure we put forward the best possible tactics, to build and win the union’s campaigns and to strengthen our branches. This is not an approach shared by the majority of the executive, part of a faction calling itself “Left Unity”.
Even before the meeting had convened, the disorganisation of the leadership was evident. Really important papers, containing detailed information of vital importance to building the union’s campaigns, were not even published until after the meeting had started. When they were eventually published, particularly the one around our recent ballot, it was clear no serious analysis had been undertaken on where we were strong, how to focus efforts and build our dispute.
When we finally got into the substantive debates, it was clear that a whole host of other actions – previously agreed by the June GEC meeting – had not taken place. Not a single branch has been given their turnout figures in the ballot. No meeting of the Campaign Committee had taken place, to discuss next steps. Even matters as basic as discussions with the PCS legal unit had not been meaningfully progressed.
The entire approach of the current leadership is to kick any serious action – never mind industrial action – on pay, and on safety, as far down the road as possible, in the hope that members will forget. This is why the leadership is dragging its heels even on the very basic actions they themselves voted through at the last meeting. It also leaves branch reps to struggle on to defend members the best they can, rather than being part of a national campaign.
If branches had been given their turnout figures, and regional committees had been able to meet to discuss these and agree on a regional approach, it might have moved some areas closer to action. But of course, this would cause reps to wonder more, why the GEC weren’t leading such an approach – and it is precisely that question which the current leadership want desperately to avoid. It’s also time to publish the national turnout with a clear plan to build the campaign.
On pay, BLN comrades on the GEC argued for a robust response to DWP. The other unions, Prospect and FDA, argued that the available money should be awarded on a flat rate percentage, meaning more money for higher grades. DWP decided not to do this, not out of the goodness of their hearts but because they know staff are going to be angry about pay.
This anger is not limited to DWP or even to the Civil Service. As we have seen just in the last few days, the government has been forced to back down on a 1% offer to the health services, upping this to 3%, and the unions there are intending to ballot because they are arguing that even this is not enough.
Staff in DWP have been giving massive support to the vulnerable during the pandemic, some of us learning four or five new job roles often with only weeks in which to do so, in order to ensure the right person was paid the right amount of money at the right time. Members in DWP know we are worth a pay rise this year and are angry about not getting one.
The whole point of being elected to the leading committees in the union is that we are the reps who are responsible for coming up with the plan for how we are going to force the employer to concede more money, working together with branches, reps and members. The BLN approach has been to argue for building the widest dispute possible.
We know that in order to give us the pay rise we deserve, we will have to force the Treasury to put more money on the table. The union’s official policy is for a 10% pay rise, and for pay progression to get everyone onto the pay maxima or the spot rate within 5 years, including opted out members. We also want additional money to convert Fixed Term Appointments into permanent staff. There are thousands of FTAs in DWP, as yet un-recruited to the union, but who could be the strong right arm of a major campaign. Linking issues like this can galvanise members.
This “do nothing” approach by the “Left Unity” majority on the GEC was repeated for all of the substantive debates, most especially when it came to building the campaign to defend members in Jobcentres. One GEC member tried to argue that PCS is a “left-wing union in a right-wing country”, which is utter rubbish, but gives some insight into the bunker mentality of the union’s leaders in DWP, and the excuses they come up with for doing nothing.
At the last meeting of the GEC, BLN supporters were denounced for their “shopping list” of demands. Yet by this meeting, some aspects of that shopping list – such as making our opposition to Jobcentre micromanagement and targets a part of the Jobcentre dispute – had been added to the papers proposed by the current leadership.
This is progress, but we have had to continually point out that their approach is not going anywhere near far enough. By the end of the two days, the GEC majority had voted down our three motions, refusing to even countenance additional elements to the campaigns on safety and on pay. The activities they have agreed cannot even charitably be described as a campaign.
Broad Left Network supporters have already begun, at regional level where we have supporters and a solid base amongst members, to move in the direction of disputes. We will be arguing that whenever branches get the turnout figures from the Jobcentre safety ballot, they should share regionally with other branches, to consider how sites at or near the 50% threshold could band together and could sustain a dispute, to leverage concessions on safety and working conditions from DWP.
Meanwhile we will continue to put pressure on the Left Unity majority on the GEC when it comes to pay, to lay out clear proposals on how to mobilise our branches and members. We need public campaigns demonstrating the role our members have played, to build pressure on DWP. We need to put pressure on DWP to go back to the Treasury. Most of all we need a strategy of industrial action, which is utterly absent from anything put forward by LU.
If you are interested in discussing any of our ideas, we hope you will get in touch and will consider joining the Broad Left Network, to fight for a democratic, campaigning union, and for the socialist policies and methods we need to win for members
PCS Broad Left Network 