I was privileged to chair our BLN Conference on Saturday (14th January). The conference was a great success with activists from all parts of the union discussing the important issues facing our members. The discussion was great and really demonstrated the serious attitude and commitment of the BLN membership and also the wider periphery who attended.
National Campaign
First up on the agenda was the union’s campaign on pay and jobs against the background of a government pay limit of 2-3% and the cost of living crisis faced by our members. The conference made clear BLN support for a national campaign on pay and jobs. It applauded PCS members striking and sacrificing on behalf of all of us but disappointed that national action uniting all those areas who had won the mandate and co-ordinated action with other unions had barely featured in the union’s strategy and demonstrated a lack of understanding about what is required to win.
The conference sent solidarity to all workers across the movement, committed to do everything possible to encourage members to support the levy, to support those areas re-balloting and to work tirelessly to ensure that the 1st of February was a huge success.
However, escalation is needed, and conference agreed BLN will call/campaign to include:
- Immediate and continuing all-members national strike action – preferably when we can but not exclusively alongside other unions – to maximise pressure on the employer.
- Selective strikes supported by a levy consented to by members.
- Immediate re-ballot of all those groups of members who failed to secure a strike mandate.
- Immediate further ballot for action short of strikes to support the pressure of all-members national strikes and to increase the effectiveness of the targeted action.
Under the Tory anti-union laws our ballot mandate runs out on 7 May. Conference agreed BLN should argue for a fresh ballot beginning no later than 7 April if our campaign demands are not met by then.
Conference agreed that the national campaign needs to be under the democratic control of the union’s members and for this purpose BLN should argue for a special conference in mid-March to review the progress of the dispute and determine what strategy is needed to win.
Tory Anti-Union Legislation
The Tories are planning further attacks on our right to strike with legislation giving them the power to impose minimum service levels and removing the already limited protection from dismissal for workers judged not to have complied. The conference agreed to continue to campaign for the repeal of all Tory anti-union legislation and that the TUC should “prepare for the maximum co-ordinated industrial action, up to and including a 24 hour general strike if the Tory Government moves to implement new anti-union laws and restrictions”.
NEC Report
Fiona Brittle is currently playing a fantastic role as the lone BLN supporter on the National Executive Committee. Fiona’s report to the conference concentrated on the national campaign and in particular her consistent efforts to persuade the Executive to take the fight to the government with a bold strike strategy the major part of which would involve all member national action. She meets, she said, with repeated rejection, but would not be deterred from putting forward a strategy which put us in the best possible position to win our demands on pay, jobs, pensions, and the compensation scheme.
BLN Secretary Report
Alan Dennis, BLN Secretary, reported on the work of the BLN Steering Committee over the preceding twelve months which he said had contributed to the BLN becoming a major force in the union and to it being seen as the left opposition to the current leadership. Alan identified a major challenge for the BLN in the period ahead of challenging and changing the top down approach of the current leadership and democratising the working of the union.
Guest Speaker-Sheila Caffrey (NEU)
I was really pleased to welcome Sheila to our conference. Sheila is an NEU Executive Committee member and supporter of the left group Education Solidarity. Sheila expressed the hope that the NEU statutory strike ballot (NB: which is now has and we will all join up on the 1st February) would give them a mandate for action and that PCS and NEU would shortly be sharing picket lines. She explained that support for the left had grown in the NEU based on an approach expressed in their slogan – “Lead from the front and build from below “. Sheila thanked us for the opportunity to address the conference and suggested we should more regularly link up left groups across the unions.
Conference Motions
A number of motions were discussed which have determined BLN policy and which BLN supporters will take to their Branch Annual General Meetings for discussion. These included: Covid – the threat has not gone away and the union needs to act collectively. On tax justice the enormous tax gap from evasion which if collected would fund a fair health and benefits system. A bigger and better union by linking organising and bargaining. PCS digitalneeds to be designed around the needs of branches and members. Proper access to members mobile and email addresses for lay reps is vital to build the union and coordinate action. Need to rebuild the Proud structures in the union. What we need to do and campaign for to ensure trans equality. No to privatisation /outsourcing. Need for a better health service fully resourced free from privatisation and outsourcing. Need an Anti- Austerity Charter.
BEIS Group – NEC Impose New Constitution
A motion rejecting the imposition of an unagreed constitution by the Left Unity led NEC was agreed. This has no precedent in the twenty year plus history of PCS and takes our union back to the undemocratic practices of the old CPSA right wing. Conference agreed full support to BEIS Group.
Regional Committee Structures-Consultation
The conference noted that the NEC were consulting on the union’s regional committee structure and urged BLN supporters to respond by the 20th January deadline making the case for properly funded and democratically controlled regional committees.
Election candidates agreed
The conference agreed the composition of the BLN Steering Committee for the twelve months ahead and the candidates that BLN will support in the 2023 PCS elections.
That’s It
In bringing our conference to a conclusion it seemed right to emphasise the critical role we will play individually and collectively in the period ahead securing our national campaign demands and a fairer, better – socialist – society for all workers and their families.
If you read this report and are not yet a BLN member, please consider joining us.
If you would like to join the Broad Left Network, please fill in the form below and post it to – “PCS BLN, 11 Carr Road, Sheffield S6 2WY”
PCS Broad Left Network 