Our Programme

Introduction

The Broad Left Network is the Socialist Group inside PCS. Our immediate interest is the employment and workplace issues that directly affect members. However, the challenges we face go far beyond the workplace and so must our union’s interests and campaigning activities.

The change of UK government in the 2024 general election has not stopped the attacks on PCS members and workers generally. Labour’s record shows that “austerity” has not gone away. This is demonstrated by the public service jobs cuts, withdrawing winter fuel payments, attacking disability benefits, reneging on the commitment to WASPI campaigners and halving the “green” investment.

Labour and the SNP’s record in devolved nations is no better – in Scotland, the Scottish Government have announced successive cuts budgets, a 20% headcount reduction of its Core staff by 2030 and below RPI pay rises for most public servants including its own staff. In Wales, Welsh Labour have passed on Tory and Labour cuts, and public services have been decimated as a result. People in Wales are poorer than in most regions of the UK and transport is critically underfunded as a result of 26 years of Labour rule and the party’s refusal to stand up to the national government and fight for ordinary workers.

The union needs a strong political voice to speak out on the issues that directly affect us. We need to give support to election candidates that support us and our policies and establish links with those seeking to build a new genuine mass workers party.

It is vital for members’ jobs and pay that we win a fighting PCS union leadership in the 2026 union elections – one that doesn’t cover up for an austerity government but fights for members.

The left alliance of the Broad Left Network, Independent Left, other groups and individuals secured a 19:16 majority in the NEC 2024 elections, ending over 20 years of control by Left Unity. The BLN played a major role in bringing together this alliance and in securing the nominations and votes needed to win.

This left coalition did not win a majority in the 2025 union elections. Turnout fell to 6.4%. This was largely because every attempt by the left coalition majority to implement its policies (including those like A315 backed overwhelmingly by members at Conference) was blocked and/or undermined by Left Unity members Martin Cavanagh and Fran Heathcote. The President and General Secretary abused their positions and use of union resources to rule out of order most motions submitted by the left majority, to prevent them being voted through.

In the 2026 union elections our aim is to continue with the election alliance, regain a clear NEC majority and win the position of president to be able to implement our policies, the agreed left alliance programme and the will of Conference.

The BLN stands for:

Fighting to win on pay, conditions and jobs
No office closures without TU agreement
Insourcing all privatised work
Flexible hybrid working
No discrimination of any kind –
- Anti-racism and anti-fascism
- Anti-transphobia, liberation for the Trans+ community
- Anti-gender-based discrimination
Bargaining demands on mental health and wellbeing
Fully resourced social security systems
A fully funded public sector care service
Worker control of AI use
Lay-led union democracy
Pro-worker political strategy
Action on the climate crisis and a just transition
Tax justice

Pay, Conditions & Jobs

Successive UK and devolved governments have attacked our jobs, pay and conditions. The BLN is committed to building a stronger union and fighting to defend jobs, get back what we have lost in pay and conditions and gain improvements for all members. This includes in devolved nations and the commercial sector where pay structures and specifics of demands vary.

PCS Annual Delegate Conference has for years now adopted BLN policy on the national campaign in the form of motions A315 (2024) and A383 (2025). As a result, the NEC is mandated to build a national campaign capable of winning on pay, conditions and jobs including plans for a statutory strike ballot and engaging members at all stages.

Pay demands:

Pay increases substantially above inflation to get back what we have lost – currently our claim should be not less than 10%
minimum wage of £18 per hour with additional money to sustain London weighting
automatic pay progression to the top of pay ranges/scales
no pay overlap between grades
full restoration of real terms pay losses
reintroduction of national pay bargaining
equality-proofing of all pay systems

Jobs & Conditions demands:

No job cuts – Al should only be used to benefit workers, not replace them.
No reduction in headcount without trade union agreement – no compulsory redundancies or recruitment freezes.
Full staffing across the civil service, to tackle rising and unsustainable workloads.
A shorter working week with no loss of pay or increased workload – in the first instance a move to not more than 35 hours
increased and improved leave entitlements – e.g. annual, carer’s, sick, special, parental etc.
better pension arrangements with a lower pensionable age
improved workplace health and care arrangements to reduce stress and mental health issues
increased flexibility of working – no imposed office attendance requirements
better Civil Service Compensation Scheme benefits and procedures

Oppose Office Closures – save jobs and keep services local!

The Civil Service has suffered staff cuts across most employing bodiesfor over a decade.The refreshed UKGovernment Estates Strategy continues closing smaller, community-based offices in favour of fewer and larger multi-agency offices and hubs.

The centralisation of civil servants into a smaller number of large offices adversely impacts on jobs, members lives and the communities we serve. This is particularly the case for rural and remote areas.

PCS must respond nationally to:

oppose office closures unless there is trade union agreement
produce materials on a PCS alternative vision for the civil service based on keeping services local and linking up with local pressure groups, campaigns and service users
hold meetings in affected offices to discuss and agree proposals for campaigning as part of a national strategy
highlight previous victories on keeping offices open and sharing the lessons from those successes.

No to all Privatisation

Strike action by workers on outsourced contracts with G4S, ISS and OCS have taken place across government departments, including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Cabinet Office, the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Our outsourced members are working under appalling conditions – often on minimum wage, in poor working environments and without sick pay from day one. Labour pledged to in-source facilities management services but there is little sign of this happening. The Employment Rights Bill proposes increased protections for transferring workers in outsourcing contracts, but this is not good enough.

BLN demands that Labour bring all contracted-out staff in house, on civil service contracts, terms and conditions.

Insourcing contracts is vital, and meanwhile the union should organise and support members on outsourced contracts to fight for better conditions

PCS should:

coordinate the approach across all outsourced areas and produce demands including:
- trade union recognition.
- Working conditions and service standards
- £18ph minimum wage with additional money to sustain London weighting.
- Full resourcing and training for all members in facilities services and opposition to cuts in staffing levels.
highlight the huge waste of Civil Service resources being diverted to the profits of private companies rather than delivering a quality service in the public sector.

Hybrid Working

The BLN opposes the attempts by the Tories, continued by UK Labour and Scottish Government to unilaterally impose arbitrary restrictions on hybrid working and stands for:

A collective agreement setting out the conditions for hybrid working with maximum flexibility for staff
No mandatory frequency of office attendance
Hybrid working as an extension to current agreements on flexible working, not a replacement
No use of hybrid to bring “efficiency” savings e.g. office closures, pay cuts, worse terms and conditions etc. No enforced 100% homeworking – voluntary only.
Access to suitable, safe office facilities and equipment when required for all staff.

No to ALL discrimination

Austerity disproportionately impacts and is the biggest threat to the safety, inclusion and wellbeing of women, Black, LGBTQ+ and disabled people. Fully funded public services for everyone that increase all people’s living standards are vital for ending oppression, bigotry and violence.

BLN recognises that as the union for UK and devolved governments’ workforce, PCS has a key role in pressing to achieve and defend these public services. We must promote an accessible and inclusive approach which recognises that we are strongest when we use our collective strength to fight for all our members together.

The Broad Left Network stands for:

Equality and accessibility to be a fully integrated part of all PCS organising, bargaining, and campaigning.
Opposition to all cuts to public services and proposals to privatisation – for fully funded local services with well-paid, highly trained public sector workers.
No discrimination in the workplace – agreed and rigorous systems of Equality Impact assessments
Legal and industrial challenge to achieve Equal Pay in the public sector.
An end to gender-based violence, and increased support for women and all people fleeing domestic abuse.
More engagement by women in PCS at all levels, including senior rep and activist positions.
Removal of barriers to engagement, training and development of reps with protected characteristics – this is more effective than reserved seats, which do not tackle the underlying causes of underrepresentation.
Paid time off to attend union meetings and take part in union activities. Many members are unable to attend meetings outside of working hours due to other commitments.
Affordable childcare provision, increased parental leave, carers and disability leave, expanded reasonable adjustments for staff.

No to racism and fascism

With right wing populist movements gaining an echo internationally, trade unions must resist divisions that are being fostered in society and build unity, based on a programme to benefit us all. We must present the socialist alternative to right wing populist narratives, to draw working class people who rightly feel abandoned by pro-capitalist mainstream parties away from the false solutions based on bigotry provided by Reform, etc. and towards socialist principles.

The BLN supports those who have stood up to the far-right, including the many who joined counter-protests which were key in forcing back the racists and fascists. We also salute those who have organised against the far-right activist Tommy Robinson.

PCS must actively support a movement that fights for the policies that can transform the lives of working-class people, including on jobs, pay, housing, the NHS and education. This is vital to undercut the racist propaganda of the far right. PCS must take the lead in calling for the TUC and the unions to organise behind the demand: ‘Workers’ unity not division – jobs and homes not racism’ to undercut support for the populists and win back workers.

We must pressure the TUC, STUC and WTUC to call TU-led rallies and protests against racism, fascism and the far-right. They must organise trade union stewards for these and other protests.

No to transphobia, and liberation for the Trans+ community

It is more urgent than ever that our union demands that workplace, civil service and pub-sector policies remain aligned to our values of equality, dignity and solidarity across the working class.

PCS Conference policy going back many years is clear and unequivocal that we support Trans+ rights and oppose any attempts to segregate Trans+ people. We have clear policy expressing that trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary people exist. The BLN supports this and continues to oppose the growing refusal to fight transphobia within the PCS leadership and full time structures.

Attacks on Trans+ people harm all people, including regressive attitudes that reduce people to their chromosomes. There is a natural coalition between cisgender women and the Trans+ community in tackling the issue of gender-based violence. We should work in coalition in the endeavour to eradicate sexism, as should all workers.

The BLN demands:

That PCS support campaigns to overturn the April 2025 Supreme Court ruling in the case of FWS v Scottish Ministers.
Labour introduce primary legislation to protect the rights of Trans+ people and prevent their exclusion from public spaces
reform of the Gender Recognition Act to facilitate legal gender recognition on the basis of self-determination.
No change or removal of policy (or introduction of new policy) anywhere PCS has recognition that seeks to undermine or remove existing rights or access from Trans+ staff.
Full consideration and use of legal, political and industrial responses as appropriate from PCS to defend the rights and dignity of Trans+ members at work and oppose discrimination and harassment.
That PCS acknowledge and oppose the far-right influence in the gender-critical movement – a vehicle it uses to harm trans and non-binary people, and further its wider anti-worker, anti-woman agenda.
A fully funded health service for all workers, with sufficient resources to provide timely gender-affirming care to Trans+ and non-binary people, based on medical necessity rather than moral panic.

Mental Health and Wellbeing – central to all bargaining demands

Far too many members are dismissed or come under pressure because of ill health. Increasingly this is because of workplace pressures of mounting workloads and a culture of bullying.

Members’ mental health and wellbeing must be a central concern of PCS including demands for better training and support, acceptable workloads and the full implementation of reasonable adjustments.

PCS must campaign for increased support for those who aresick because of poor mental health.

BLN stands for a campaign to win improved training and support for line manager members to ensure they are fully equipped to support staff with mental health issues. We oppose micro-management and numerical targets which only serve to increase stress levels and anxiety.

BLN demands fully staffed and funded social security systems across the UK, both in the DWP and Social Security Scotland. Services must be provided with support and wellbeing of claimants at the core – no sanctions, and an end to demeaning medical assessments carried out by private companies with a profit-driven interest in denying eligibility.

The Labour Government onslaught on our welfare system started straight after being elected in 2024 by –

Scrapping the Winter Fuel Payments for 10m pensioners not on the means tested Pension credit and causing massive backlogs as pensioners try to claim Pension Credit
Refusing to compensate WASPI women and accept the findings of the ombudsman of major failings of DWP
Refusing to scrap the two-child benefit cap which pushes an extra 1.6m children into poverty.
Announced plans to attack disabled people by huge cuts to PIP

Whilst Labour were forced to U-turn on PIP cuts as a result of a wave of organised anger from working class people, including Disabled People Against the Cuts, the battle continues as major attacks were still contained in the watered-down UC and PIP Act.

BLN members will continue to press for our union to challenge attacks on the services our members in DWP are delivering and expose the hesitancy of Left Unity in tackling the new Labour government. This hesitancy is even more scandalous when there has been a mass movement against the attacks.

Labour were quick to attack the “outdated jobcentre system” but has done nothing to address the Tory regime which has damaged our members ability to deliver services to the public when they delayed scrapping the pointless 10-minute appointments and empowered work coaches to individualise support based on claimants’ needs. Labour have lied about the soaring PIP claimant levels without acknowledging that most of the rise in numbers claiming this benefit are because of migrating claims from DLA to PIP.

BLN believes that major campaigning work is needed by PCS to update and relaunch the alternative for a supportive social security system. To ensure work to publicise the alternative is done in conjunction with claimant organisations and other unions. But also, to recognise the wider context of the TUC Welfare Charter that the focus needs to be on improving workers’ rights, tackling low-paying, discriminatory employers, improving access to affordable, quality housing and quality public services and not pressure on claimants.

We will continue to campaign for the increased staffing levels that we need to support the public and work with other public sector unions and our devolved groups to fight for the supportive services that could be delivered in a coordinated way to help the public.

The Broad Left Network supports full resourcing of both the NHS and for social care, paid for by taxing big business and reversing years of outsourcing and privatisation. Private social care costs are astronomical, and the quality of service is impacted by low wages, understaffing and overworking of staff.

Free, prompt access to health services for all people is non-negotiable. The NHS must be fully staffed, with budgets set according to need.

Social care needs to be taken out of the hands of the private sector and brought back into public ownership to be run democratically by workers and service users as part of a national integrated health and social care service.

Artificial Intelligence – A union issue

PCS must be actively engaged in identifying how AI impacts our members’ jobs and public services and negotiate a collective agreement to protect them. No jobs should be replaced by AI – it must only be used to benefit workers and reduce workloads.

AI can have enormous benefits, but who controls its development and in whose interest is of critical importance. Further, addressing the climate consequences of AI as it is currently used (i.e., in service of the capitalist class to maximise profit for big business) is vital. The struggle over the impact of new technologies such as AI is a class struggle.

The NEC must take AI seriously and bring motions and reports to Conferences on steps to achieve our demands.

Union Democracy – for democratic structures and practices

Our union belongs to and should be accountable to its reps and membership. It’s not enough to say it, we need democratic structures and practices to do it. This includes:

Full time officers elected by PCS members – starting with those at the higher levels. The pay of elected full-time officers to be brought into line with the union’s membership.
Full accountability to lay structures and elected lay representatives – lay oversight must be developed and maintained throughout the year.
No further centralisation of power in the hands of unelected full-time officers rather than the lay structures.
Access by Branches, groups and regions/nations to members email and mobile records via PCS IT to communicate directly with their own members and reps, and easy access to print facilities etc.
Retain the right to vote out the entire NEC in any one year.
Review of the PCS Constitution to ensure that the position of an NEC majority cannot be undermined by presidential rulings/vetos and general secretary obstruction as happened when a left majority was elected in May 2024.

Political Strategy – support politicians who support us!

The election of Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour has confirmed what the BLN warned, that Starmer’s Labour government would operate in the interests of big business, not workers. This was apparent when Labour was in opposition but is even clearer now Labour is in Government. Measures introduced by Labour are a continuation of austerity. This mirrors their approach in the Welsh Government, and the approach of the SNP in Scotland.

The Broad Left Network believes it is important for the union to have a strong political voice. We support a PCS political strategy to endorse candidates in elections who agree with PCS policies – especially on anti-austerity. We stand for a political strategy which will supplement and strengthen our capability to take industrial action and defend the interests of PCS members.

PCS must secure commitments from Labour to immediately repeal all the anti-union legislation, including, but not only, the 2016 Trade Union Act and the minimum services anti-strike law but to take into public ownership public utilities such as energy, water, post and rail. Devolved administrations must do the same where they have not already.

The Broad Left Network believes that the needs of the working class are not served by any of the mainstream political parties, who at best accept the restrictions of a capitalist system. This has created the conditions for the rabid right wing, racist populism of Reform to flourish. What is needed is a party that represents the working class and stands for the ideas of socialism. Any such party must be based on the unions and with a no-cuts programme that will deliver jobs, houses and improved public services to working class communities.

We note the launch of “Your Party” by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. We believe the PCS NEC should engage in talks with Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Sultana etc to discuss how the PCS and other unions can play a central part in building a workers’ party with a socialist programme in which fighting, democratic trade unions play a fundamental role and which is federal in character.

Climate Change – A trade union issue

Climate change and the resulting climate crisis is a crucial trade union issue. PCS must use its collective power to win support for the decisive action needed to protect our planet.

COP21 and COP29 were unsuccessful and have failed to deliver the radical change needed to reverse climate change. COP 30 will face many of the same issues as previous gatherings but takes place against a background of advanced industrial countries, such as the USA, reducing climate control commitments even further. Without recognition of the need to dismantle capitalism, COP summits are merely greenwashed talking shops.

BLN stands for:

Building the network of Green Reps in PCS and better coordinating activities through branches, regions, groups, devolved areas and the NEC .
Statutory rights for Green workplace reps – trade union led environmental risk assessments in every workplace.
Placing demands on governments to deliver effective environmental policies as part of a National Climate Service.
Tax Justice to fund investment in renewables, clean transport, energy efficiency measures and training programmes that can help create millions of new jobs while cutting greenhouse emissions.
Build on the Lucas Plan, One Million Climate Jobs, Just Transition: giving a civil service perspective.
Public ownership and democratic control of energy from community, municipal to government and international level.
Stronger links between the trade union and environmental movement in the UK and globally through joint campaigns, protests, peaceful civil disobedience and strikes to mobilise support for the system change needed.

Capitalist governments have shown themselves incapable of the decisive and radical action needed to tackle the problem of climate control.

One consequence of the failure to actively pursue just transition programmes is the opportunity it gives to far-right populist movements to oppose climate control measures and build a base amongst workers in the fossil fuel industries. A Guardian editorial summed this up – “It is the job of Labour and others who take the just transition seriously to increase both the money and urgency behind it. Otherwise, local unemployment will produce local devastation and widespread resentment that can be mobilised by the most reactionary forces.” It is an indictment of the Labour government that one of its first actions was to cut in half its £28bn green investment pledge!

Tax Justice – No to working people paying for capitalist crisis!

The BLN believes a fair and balanced tax system is an essential component for developing a fair and just welfare system. They are two sides of the same coin. If PCS is serious in its demands such as scrapping and replacing Universal Credit, lowering the pension age, a publicly owned NHS with an end to privatisation, then Tax Justice needs to be part of the campaigning.

The re-launch by PCS of a Tax Justice Campaign in 2025 shows the importance of the pressure applied by BLN so far, but there’s still more to be done.

BLN stands for:

Inclusion of members – especially from the HMRC Group – in the PCS Tax Justice Campaign. The current top down, FTO led approach is bureaucratic and undemocratic.
Extension of the Tax Justice Campaign to include thorough tax gap analysis for areas over which devolved nations have tax powers
Simplify the UK tax code – abolish meaningless tax reliefs and close tax loopholes, particularly in relation to offshore activities.
Investment in HMRC to ensure it is equipped to close the tax gap, which includes the reintroduction of local compliance offices as part of an effective deterrent.
Building links with the National Union of Journalists so that their members can access our valuable insight when producing articles on the subject.
PCS to call for Tax Justice to be taken up at international level, in the European Trade Union Confederation and globally, to develop a consensus for a global tax system.
The financial sector to be brought into public ownership so that it can be democratically run by and in the interests of working people.
A progressive tax system that redistributes wealth and income in favour of working people and their families.

PCS members and the wider working class cannot rely on the rhetoric of political parties to ensure that the economy is run to benefit anyone other than the capitalist class.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, there has been a series of leaks that hint at the scale of global tax avoidance and evasion taking place. The Panama Papers and the Paradise Papers show how the 1%, politicians and multinationals are engaging in tax avoidance, tax evasion and in circumventing international financial sanctions. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network leaks show how this is facilitated by the financial sector for profit.

PCS must work to close the tax gap. The tax gap is estimated to be 5.3% of total theoretical tax liabilities, equivalent to £46.8 billion.

coordinate the approach across all outsourced areas and produce demands including:
- trade union recognition.
- Working conditions and service standards
- £18ph minimum wage with additional money to sustain London weighting.
- Full resourcing and training for all members in facilities services and opposition to cuts in staffing levels.
highlight the huge waste of Civil Service resources being diverted to the profits of private companies rather than delivering a quality service in the public sector.

Introduction

Pay, Conditions & Jobs

Oppose Office Closures – save jobs and keep services local!

No to all Privatisation

Hybrid Working

No to ALL discrimination

Mental Health and Wellbeing – central to all bargaining demands

Fight for a fully resourced, supportive social security system

Health and Social Care – for a fully funded NHS and public sector care service

Artificial Intelligence – A union issue

Union Democracy – for democratic structures and practices

Political Strategy – support politicians who support us!

Climate Change – A trade union issue

Tax Justice – No to working people paying for capitalist crisis!