Month: Aug 2026

PCS Conference in May voted in favour of a motion instructing the National Executive Committee to build a serious campaign, capable of winning on jobs. pay, pensions and the huge number of other issues facing PCS members day in day out. That campaign needs to be built, if there is no satisfactory movement from the employer in meeting our demands.

There has been no movement. A new Prime Minister has not meant a new direction – for any worker, let alone PCS members. A 3.5% pay remit, potentially condemning our lowest paid grades to the minimum wage forever, goes nowhere near meeting our claim for 10%. Jobs and livelihoods at risk, with members taking matters into their own hands in disputes across the union – striking to protect jobs and conditions. Thousands of pensions still not being paid to members or their families, condemning many to severe hardship, sees little sign of remedy as the Cabinet Office continues to refuse to bring this service back in house. In fact, to the contrary, private profiteer Capita, awarded more work!

This is just the tip of the iceberg as prices continue to rise and workers pay the price for a cost-of-living crisis which is set to become worse. The employer needs to demonstrate concrete “respect” for civil service workers and others, including private sector workers, who work on the contracts dished out by government without a second thought about the jobs, pay and conditions of those who work on them. Burnham, since July, has created lots of “sound-bites” but little else.

If we are to make progress, then it is vital that we build a campaign across PCS as set out and agreed in motion A375. The NEC Left Coalition majority remain determined to build this campaign.

The saga to do so has been going on since 29 May. This was when the first meeting of the new NEC took place, immediately following conference. And with the specific intention of moving quickly to put the plans in place to launch a cost-of-living campaign on pay, jobs, pensions and other crucial issues and as set out and agreed only the week before at our Annual Delegate Conference.

Unfortunately, at this stage, equally clear, has been the determination of the PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote and her “Democracy Alliance” allies to frustrate and block any national campaign. This determination was on show immediately after the close of Conference, when the General Secretary published her article lauding the 3.5% civil service pay remit as “above inflation”.

Setting aside that the General Secretary was using the government’s measure of inflation, not that used by trade unions, this publication bypassed the NEC in a way that up until now has been exceedingly rare. It is now common. This is despite clear NEC instructions to the contrary – for example on Pensions, where Heathcote’s name appears alone at the bottom of branch bulletins, these mainly just reflect updates from management and whilst there are references to insourcing there is no clear strategy on how we need to implement our policy to make this a reality.

On 2 June, when the National Disputes Committee met, to implement the decisions of the 29^th May, material prepared by members of that Committee was condemned by the General Secretary as “disrespectful”. There is still nothing published telling members that the priority of PCS, as overwhelmingly supported at conference, is to build a campaign win on the issues that matter to them most – jobs, pay, pensions and conditions.

On 11 June, there was the General Secretary’s infamous walkout – which was nothing to do with the Standing Orders and everything to do with the determination to shrug off lay control of the union by its elected leadership

Following pressure from ordinary members and reps, the General Secretary was forced to back down.

At the NEC on 15/16 July, further recommendations were agreed to put the necessary steps in place to build the campaign. But the delaying tactics continued with information not forthcoming and still no sign of any publicity to the activist layer or members.

Pay negotiator forums were called for, but the agreed date was simply missed and was neither published or built for. To date no clear plan has been communicated to branches, groups or regions and the delaying tactics continue.

NEC of 19 August

At an emergency NEC which took place on the 19 August, the NEC instructed the General Secretary to get on with it.

A motion put to the NEC by BLN member, Fiona Brittle, laid out some clear and high-profile methods of raising the visibility of the campaign, and some urgent communications for members and activists, including on the crucial question of finance and paying for the cost of a serious campaign of industrial action. This motion passed, despite Democracy Alliance/Left Unity members voting against it. Crucially it also instructed the General Secretary to prepare for a statutory ballot to be launched on the 30^th September with the final decision to be made at the NEC taking place at the beginning of September.

It is clear that the DA/LU alliance minority, including the General Secretary (who has been elected to implement conference policy, not blatantly obstruct it) are hoping that because DWP, MOD, MOJ and other areas have not started delegated pay talks they will be excluded from any national response. Likewise for those areas in a multi-year deal. This is a nonsense, not least because the campaign includes jobs, pensions and conditions, but also because we already know that the pay remit of 3.5% will not meet our demand of 10%, will not remove thousands from the horror of low pay and doesn’t protect pensions or jobs.

The argument that because delegated pay talks in these areas have not begun, a ballot cannot commence, is spurious. DWP balloted last year because the employer simply ignored the views of the union in delegated pay talks about how last year’s pay award would be spent. A ballot during pay talks, agitated by reports from the front line of negotiations, would easily achieve membership buy-in.

When the pay and jobs ballot was launched back in September 2022, the mandate was designed to last through to Spring 2023, so as to overlap the period when the government would make decisions about the Civil Service Pay Remit. At that time, multiple groups had not concluded delegated pay talks – but went for it anyway, recognising that the cost cap of the pay remit would not allow for a good award.

That is exactly the current situation. The cost-cap is 3.5%, set by the pay remit, and any flexibilities appear to be accessible only by screwing over AA grades and confining them permanently to the national minimum wage, which should not be acceptable to any serious union rep – though the General Secretary lauded this flexibility too, in her outrageous message on the website back in May.

There is clear industrial logic for the launch of a campaign this autumn, and Conference policy is clear: launch by the end of September.

Broad Left Network members are absolutely committed to the launch of a campaign, to the faithful discharge of Conference policy and to pushing against what is an unstable government predisposed to do us no favours unless it really has to. Anyone not willing to participate – especially those in DA/LU thinking they can block the campaign at Group level – should get out of the way. The General Secretary should respect conference policy and work tirelessly to implement it and stop blocking progress and we hope that all members and reps, no matter what their personal view, will campaign vigorously to build support and win the vote. To not do so, will give strength to the employer at a time when they remain weak and vulnerable.

PCS has a history of being a fighting, democratic union, whose proud traditions defended pensions, established and defended the civil service compensation scheme and who can now play a crucial role in fighting the cost-of-living crisis. Let’s rewin those traditions and build the campaign to win.  If you agree, and you want this to continue, we urge you to join the Broad Left Network.

Burnham Bounce does not mean better pay, jobs protected and pension crisis solved.

PCS Annual Delegate Conference in May, voted for to build a serious campaign to tackle pay, protect jobs, sort out the pension crisis and improve members terms and conditions. Almost simultaneously, members voted for a NEC Left Coalition majority – not least because it stood on a platform to build a serious campaign capable of winning as set out in Motion A375.However, reps and members would be forgiven for not knowing about any campaign, nor the decisions taken by the NEC to build the campaign as determined by members through conference. This is because the General Secretary, Fran Heathcote, is not implementing them. Decisions of the NEC are being delayed, or simply ignored.

Members have instructed the union leadership to build a serious fight on pay, jobs, pensions and other crucial issues at three consecutive conferences. The Democracy Alliance led NEC at the time, “paused” action 40 months ago and are still intent on sabotaging our attempts to build the necessary campaign.

Members recognise that this is the only way to fight and win our demands against a government still rooted in cuts and passing on austerity to the public and its own workers. This is as true of a Burnham led government as it is of a Starmer led government and no amount of waiting around to see if Burnham delivers, will change that. The 3.5% remit is still 3.5%, job cuts are still taking place and our members in FCDO and elsewhere are still bravely fighting on to defeat these in their areas, the crisis in Capita shows little sign of resolving itself with thousands still suffering hardship, delayed pensions and delayed retirements, low pay is still prevalent amongst thousands of our members and our offices are still threatened with closure and the cost-of-living crisis rages on.

The Broad Left Network members, as part of the Left Coalition were elected on a platform to build a serious strategy to win. And we remain determined to do so. To do otherwise is a serious betrayal of an approach that has been overwhelming endorsed by members through conference and is the only way to tackle the serious issues facing PCS members day in day out.

Use industrial leverage

PCS members have huge industrial power and not to recognise this and not use it is a serious betrayal of members interests. With Andy Burnham taking over as Prime Minister, we must apply pressure to ensure Labour delivers for workers rather than continuing to govern in the interest of big business. And the early signs are not good. Many trade union leaders may wish to give Burnham “a chance to make changes”, but all we have seen so far is yet more machinery of government changes for the civil service, vague announcements about devolution without any guarantee of job protection for our members, and blaming climate change on BBQs whilst authorising further oil drilling in the North Sea. He has made no commitment to increase the public sector pay remit which restricts our members’ pay to around 3.5% (only partially funded), or to bring pensions administration back in house to resolve the appalling Capita pensions crisis. Our members can’t afford to “wait and see”.

NEC make decisions to build campaign but General Secretary refusing to implement

From the point where the decision was made to support A375, it is clear that General Secretary, Fran Heathcote and her supporters continue to do everything possible to undermine this decision and not carry out the instructions she is responsible for implementing. Far from “holding the employers feet to the fire”, her election pledge when she won the GS election with less than an 800 vote majority, she has done the opposite, not even publishing the result of the conference vote to members, the absence of any social media or website announcement, which if done, would have put not only the whole of PCS on a war-footing, but would have sent a very clear message to the employer, just in advance of the publication of their paltry 3.5% pay remit..

From the very first meeting on 29^th May, the NEC have repeatedly instructed the General Secretary to urgently publish materials on the PCS website and social media, and comprehensive branch briefings to announce the new Conference policy to fight, and to equip reps with advice and information to build support and momentum for the campaign amongst members. We have instructed her to provide proposals for giving lay representatives access to members’ contact details and the ability to communicate with them directly. We have agreed members meetings right throughout the union and a plan to work with all of our lay structures to build the campaign necessary.

None of this has been done, and the General Secretary refuses to explain why. In fact, Deputy National President Dave Semple produced specific website articles to rally members following the 29^th May NEC and was told this was “disrespectful” to the General Secretary.

There have been multiple social media posts, emails and articles on other issues, but a deafening silence on the national campaign. To most reps and members this NEC looks no different than what they’ve had for years. Members and reps have not even been told officially that PCS laid campaign demands on the Cabinet Office within weeks of Conference ending, indicating that we consider PCS in dispute if no progress were made.

This is not an accident. Rather it is the latest way that the General Secretary aims to stop PCS members having a national campaign, having lost the ability to do so via the National President and NEC following the elections. She and her Left Unity allies have vocally opposed a national campaign on pay, jobs and conditions. They voted to oppose A375 in the NEC last year (as well as similar motions A353 and A315 in 2025 and 2024). The General Secretary does not want this campaign, and rather than sticking up for those she has been elected and paid to represent, she is acting as an apologist for a Labour Government who have no intention of delivering the “respect” in the form of jobs, pay, pensions promised when Labour was elected two years ago.

Beyond this, she hopes that by frustrating the efforts of the NEC and making us look ineffective, members will continue to be disillusioned with the leadership. She hopes this will keep voter turnout low in the next round of NEC elections, to increase the odds of returning her allies to power and with them a lacklustre approach to trade unionism.

The General Secretary would clearly prefer to continue endless talks, which have produced nothing of substantial benefit, with the Cabinet Office, with no industrial action campaign, and hope that Burnham sorts everything out. Her supporters in Left Unity have made it clear that they want to see the outcome of pay talks before even building for a campaign. This is a nonsense when we know that offers will be around 3.5%, far too low to combat the years of pay erosion due to austerity, and anything above that will only be offered in exchange for selling off members’ terms and conditions. Even the 3.5% isn’t fully funded, with only 2% of that coming from the Treasury as new money, and Departments will have to find the rest from within existing budgets. We know that means staffing cuts, recruitment freezes, and mounting workloads for remaining staff.

We have no faith the General Secretary will implement conference and NEC decisions, so we will need to organise in our Branches, Groups and Regions/Nations to apply pressure.

If you agree with the need for a fighting campaign, join the Broad Left Network and raise the issue in your branches.