On Friday 14th April the Cabinet Office published it’s pay remit for 2023/4. The remit is the government’s way of telling departments what they can spend on pay each year. This year they have set a limit of 4.5% for pay increases plus a further discretionary 0.5%. Not only is this nowhere near last year’s claim – it does little to help hard working members meet the ever-increasing cost of living crisis.
PCS were informed of this limit by government officials who said the limit of 4.5%-5.0% was not negotiable and there would be no improvement on the 2022 pay rise of 2.0%.
What does this mean? Well, after nearly 6 months of a badly led pay campaign:-
- No negotiations on our 2022 pay claim of 10.0% – no improvement on the 2022 pay limit of 2.0% which was massively below inflation
- No negotiations on 2023 pay – imposition of 4.5-5.0% increase for 2023 which is less than half the rate of inflation.
The six-month strike mandate we secured on 7 November 2022 has nearly run out. We need to renew it. We need a massive Yes vote in the re-ballot currently taking place.
But renewing the mandate will not be enough to make the government take us seriously. We need a change of approach and a change of leadership.
Other unions launched their campaigns with programmes of national action. This paid off with the government forced to negotiate and make offers for 2023 and proposals for 2022 pay.
We don’t say the offers to these unions are good enough. In fact, they are likely to be rejected-as is the case with the nurses, where following a rank-and-file campaign the membership has said a resounding “no”! But the contrast is stark. These unions have put enough pressure on the government to make them negotiate. PCS hasn’t!
The current PCS leadership by adopting the approach put forward by the BLN secured a statutory strike mandate but waited six weeks before taking any action – and then only small-scale targeted strikes. They waited three months before the first day of national strike action. They have called only three one-day national strikes in six months.
From the start BLN supporters argued a clear strategy of immediate and escalating national strike action, supported by targeted selective strikes and a ballot for action short of strikes. We highlighted the need to coordinate action with other unions also fighting the cost-of-living crisis.
It is essential that this strategy is now implemented if we are to secure our 10% claim for 2022 and at least a cost-of-living proof increase for 2023.
Broad Left Network supporters reject the opportunistic rhetoric of Mark Serwotka and his Left Unity supporters on the PCS National Executive Committee. Serwotka has suggested that it is only as the result of our national campaign that the government entered into discussions. This is dishonest in three ways.
First – the discussions are the regular annually-scheduled discussions about the Treasury Pay Remit. They are not dispute resolution talks conceded in order to discuss terms for ending PCS strike action.
Second – the pay remit discussions do not touch on three of the four major issues raised – pensions, civil service compensation scheme or jobs.
Third – the talks are not intended to address an additional payment to cover our dispute over 2022-23 pay, but instead are designed to meet the government’s obligations for consultation on 2023-24 pay.
The General Secretary’s attempt to claim progress is to say the least premature.
Also erroneous are the claims being made in PCS propaganda, issued under the auspices of the National Executive, that there has been progress in Scotland.
Unelected negotiators have attempted to railroad through a deal with the Scottish Government for our devolved area members that falls shy of the 10% pay claim, without adequately explaining what it means for members’ pay packets. Further the proposed deal does not deal with our claim for adequate staffing in the Scottish civil service, nor with longstanding demands amongst Scottish members for a shorter contractual working week with no loss of pay.
Crucially, members in Scotland are currently being balloted on this deal, so claiming it as a union victory is as premature as it is dishonest. The Broad Left Network as well as SG West and Central Scotland branch are officially recommending rejection, against the cowardly official position to accept this wholly inadequate offer.
This Tory government is extremely weak and crisis-ridden – with serious and coordinated action we can defeat them!
On 20 April the union’s elections start. Ballot papers will be sent out by post. Use your vote to support Marion Lloyd for President and the Broad Left Network/Independent Left list of candidates.
Vote for a leadership that can win on pay and the other issues facing members.
PCS Broad Left Network 