BLN NEC Slate

We’d like to thank everyone for all of the support the BLN has received so far and are pleased to announce our recommended candidates for the forthcoming NEC elections. We’d encourage everyone who wants to see real change in PCS to nominate and support the candidates recommended by the BLN – and would encourage everyone to share the attached leaflet which explains why the BLN is standing candidates and what we want to do

President: Marion Lloyd

Vice Presidents: Fiona Brittle, Sarah Brown, Zita Holbourne, Dave Semple

NEC Members: Angela Appleby, Dave Bartlett, Rebecca Borland, Fiona Brittle, Sarah Brown, Clive Bryant, Kevin Denman, Gill Foxton, Paul Guinnane, Rachel Heemskerk, Kris Hendry, Tom Lowry, Marion Lloyd, Nick Parker, Dave Rees, Rob Ritchie, Dave Semple, Roger Thomas, Saorsa-Amatheia Tweedale, Dave Vickers, Hector Wesley, Katrine Williams, Craig Worswick, Colin Young

For more info, please read the BLN Nomination LeafetDownload

What next after the General Election, for PCS and the left?

Preparing our union to withstand the attacks of the new Tory Government is urgent. PCS, alongside unions like the RMT, which are left fighting unions, will be key to ensuring the whole of the trade union movement is able to respond to the attacks which are coming. 

Johnson, in his victory speech, talked about being a ‘one-nation Conservative’ and promised increased spending on the NHS. This is difficult to believe. Many of us remember Thatcher quoting Frances of Assisi, promising to bring harmony and hope to Britain when she won in 1979.

Instead, she ruled ruthlessly in the interests of her class and attacked working people including Civil Service workers and their families. It was Thatcher who privatised huge areas of the Civil Service, broke up national bargaining by introducing ‘delegations’ and cut thousands of jobs in her attempts to reduce the power of the union.

Johnson will do the same. Already he has launched an assault on the rights of rail workers to strike. This, combined with the recent brutal anti-democratic court rulings against the postal workers’ union, the CWU, gives a glimpse of the attacks that are to come.

But if the Trade Union movement fights with a strategy that unites workers across trade unions then Johnson’s attacks can be defeated. The seeming strength of Johnson’s government can be shattered. In 1987 Margaret Thatcher had a majority of 102. Within 12 months the campaign of mass non-payment against the poll tax began and led to her resignation just a few years later.

Today’s Tory party is far weaker than it was then. It is bitterly divided, and Johnson has only been able to win by linking BREXIT with promises to invest in health, housing and education and falsely claiming he is standing up for ‘the people’.

His promise to “get BREXIT done” by 31January is impossible to achieve and the road is fraught with dangers for big business and the Tories. It is entirely possible that this will cause huge political problems for the Government. If the Brexit arrangements trash the economy, all the other promises on taxes and spending will become impossible to deliver. The worst estimates say that a No Deal exit could cause twice the damage of the banking crash.

These false promises will become apparent very quickly and provoke a response which the Tories didn’t anticipate. The relevance of the anti-austerity agenda promoted by Corbyn will be back in the minds of working people.

The Trade Union movement must prepare now. PCS should demand the TUC call an urgent ‘council of war’ to plan the fight back against Johnson’s attacks. In the here and now this means immediate support for the PCS, education, postal and rail workers currently in dispute.  But that also means giving the lead to quickly co-ordinate a campaign against the Tories to give a voice to working people. This must include demands for socialist policies. If the TUC doesn’t act then PCS must meet with like-minded unions to organise an effective and quick response.

Already politicians, commentators and the Labour right wing, are arguing that Labour’s poor result was caused by Corbyn’s left-wing manifesto. This is nonsense. If Corbyn had maintained the commitment that he gave in the 2017 manifesto that a Labour government led by him would recognise the referendum result, seek to negotiate a deal in the interests of workers the outcome might have been very different.  Supporters of the Broad Left Network moved an emergency motion at the September NEC that called for the TUC Congress, which was meeting the following week, to mobilise workers to fight for a general election, just as Johnson was losing crucial parliamentary votes. However, this was opposed and defeated by Mark Serwotka and his supporters, meaning that the mistaken approach of Jeremy Corbyn to instead limit himself to parliamentary manoeuvres with pro-Remain parties wasn’t countered.  

Even so, Labour got 10.2 million votes, the second time under Corbyn it has reached over 10 million votes, something that was not achieved by Blair after the 2001 election, or ever by Brown or Miliband. Had he won, and implemented his programme it would have changed the lives of millions of working people including PCS members.

The battle lines are now being drawn with Johnson, aided and abetted by his side-kick, the unelected, unaccountable Cummings, planning their overhaul of Whitehall which will impact all PCS members and the communities we serve. Let’s not forget it was Cummings who lectured that a permanent civil service belongs in the history books!

The agenda for PCS members is already set. Fair pay, a return to national bargaining, investment in the key services we provide and an end to office closures, job losses and pension cuts. In short this means a fight to preserve a permanent, properly trained and rewarded Civil Service. We must also step up our campaigning to stop climate change.

The Broad Left Network will have a vital part to play in the struggles ahead. We must hold the current PCS leadership to account. Marion Lloyd won a tremendous vote in the General Secretary election, as did Bev Laidlaw, who came third. The NEC must take into account the views of those members, who include many key Union activists. They want:

  • A return to a member led union
  • A joined-up strategy to rebuild PCS which links bargaining to organising
  • A fight back against office closures to save jobs, with PCS Groups and National Branches fully consulted and
  • Lay structures (the activists who are PCS members), and not full-time officials, directing the best use of union resources.

The Broad Left Network will be standing candidates in the PCS 2020 elections with a programme to counter the Tory attacks and fighting to defend our members interests. Attend the event we have called on the 18th January in Manchester. Join us in this struggle by joining the BLN.

Why Tax Justice is Still Relevant

With the possibility of a change of government, it is important that the Campaign for Tax Justice is reinvigorated by PCS.

The Tax Justice Campaign is undoubtedly one of the most important campaigns over the last decade. In the early days of austerity, almost every political commentator and journalist slavishly regurgitated the Tory line – that austerity was an economic necessity rather than a political choice. PCS, thanks to the work of Left Unity, launched a campaign which successfully challenged this narrative, bringing the impact of tax fraud into public consciousness.

The Tax Justice Campaign was based on academic research commissioned by PCS which demonstrated that the UK tax gap (the difference between tax due and tax collected) amounted to £120 bn per annum, which was predominantly comprised of corporate tax avoidance and evasion. At this time the UK Chancellor, George Osborne, argued that the UK Budget Deficit (around £100 bn when the Tories came to power) necessitated cuts in public expenditure, bringing about the start of the government’s austerity programme.

The PCS argument was clear – if the government closed the tax gap, it could wipe out the budget deficit and in doing so make arguments for austerity redundant. The government’s refusal to do so clearly demonstrated that rather than being an economic necessity, austerity was simply an instrument via which working class people were forced to subsidise rampant corporate tax fraud.

In practice, this means that the Tory attacks on public services & social security, which have been so damaging to the British working class, were all carried out so that people like Philip Green could spend £150 million on a new yacht. For PCS members, the same thing applies – office closures, redundancies, pay restraint and attacks on terms & conditions are all being thrust upon PCS members purely to enable the government to continue lining their City friends’ pockets with billions of pounds of public money.

BLN believes the PCS Tax Justice Campaign is still as relevant as ever and in the context of the current Labour Party consultation being run by the NEC, it should form the basis of the key political demands.

 Namely, the BLN believes these demands are for the government to simplify tax law and in doing so close tax loopholes, particularly in relation to offshore activities. Similarly, the government must invest in HMRC to ensure that the department is equipped to close the tax gap, which would include ending the current office closure programme, instead focussing on the reintroduction of local compliance offices as these will allow HMRC officers to visit businesses in all parts of the country. This is the only way to ensure that business practices are compliant with tax law.

BLN welcomes the long-standing support the Tax Justice Campaign has received from Jeremy Corbyn & John McDonnell, but we also recognise the fact that throughout the UK, councils led by the Labour right-wing have been enthusiastically implementing Tory austerity measures for a decade – and that same position will undoubtedly be pursued at a national level, should the Blairites regain control of the party. Similarly, the anti-austerity sentiment expressed by the SNP, Liberals & Greens is undermined by all three parties’ willingness to impose the Tory austerity programme wherever they hold power.

If we’ve learned anything from the last decade, it is that PCS members and more broadly, the UK 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. PCS must build the anti-austerity movement amongst its membership, alongside campaigning for this at the TUC and within the wider working class, in order to ensure that any incoming government takes action to close the tax gap.

PCS members have a unique contribution to make to develop policy in this area. Our members operate the tax system and can contribute ideas for legislation, policy changes and a different operational approach. The PCS Revenue & Customs Group, alongside the NEC, must continue to lobby opposition politicians on these issues makes sure that Tax Justice is high on the agenda of an incoming government.  Ultimately, the UK ranks as one of the most unequal nations in Europe. PCS has to lead the fight to end austerity to ensure that any future government is forced to implement PCS policies, including public ownership of energy and utilities and a progressive tax system that redistributes wealth and income in favour of working people and their families.  

General Election Now

The decision by the Tory Prime Minister Boris Johnson to suspend parliament lays bare how quickly the Tories and their supporters will ditch democracy when it suits them. This move is nothing more than an undemocratic manoeuvre designed to over-rule elected MP’s and force through either a Johnson Brexit deal or no deal at all.  Ironic, given the Prime Minister has been elected by less than 0.25% of the electorate.

The PCS Broad Left Network believes that Jeremy Corbyn and the whole of the Trade Union movement need to urgently launch a mass campaign to force an immediate General Election.  It is crucial that we grab the moment and build on the demonstrations which took place in the wake of Johnson’s announcement.

PCS has a pivotal role to play in this and the union must now use the opportunity it gives to lead the call for a General Election and the return of a Corbyn led government on an anti-austerity programme. The fact that the current General Secretary Mark Serwotka is the President of the TUC should be used to pivotal effect to the advantage of not only PCS members but for working class families the length and breadth of the UK to mobilise workers and build support for the demand for an immediate General Election. The TUC congress in less than a fortnight could become a real call to arms for this demand across our movement. The intervention from PCS could be decisive and needs to be the subject of discussion at the National Executive that meets next week.

PCS must pull out all the stops to support Jeremy Corbyn’s intention to institute a vote of no-confidence in the Tory government of Boris Johnson, to force a general election and campaign for a Corbyn-led Labour Government on an anti-austerity programme.

We do not support the attempts by politicians to support a ‘national unity’ government led by right wing Labour politicians, Tories or Independents.  The capitalist establishment support this as they fear that anything led by Jeremy Corbyn may lead to an elected Corbyn government which would act against austerity and in the interests of working people including thousands of Civil Service and public sector workers. A so-called “national unity” government not led by Corbyn would act in the interests of big business and capitalism.

It is crucial now that the TUC and the unions mobilise to build on the protests breaking out all over the country, demonstrations for a general election and for a government to be elected with a clear anti-austerity programme , including the repeal of anti-Trade Union laws.

It is only the trade union movement, mobilised for a general election, which can really  unite working people by cutting through the fog that right wing politicians and media have created over Brexit. We can reclaim the ground to put forward our demands about fighting for decent jobs, pay and conditions and our services to help win the implementation of an anti-austerity programme to benefit thousands of working class families including PCS members.

School Student Strikes: Climate Change

The response from students across the world to climate change is inspirational. The Trade Union movement has a key role to link together the issues for workers, youth and broader society and build on the lead already given.

The evidence is now compelling that global warming and extreme weather events are linked to climate change. Since the first earth summit in Rio in 1992, the emission of greenhouse gases have actually increased. Capitalist governments have shown themselves incapable of the decisive and radical action needed. It is capitalism itself that has shown itself to be the obstacle to the scale and pace of change needed to end our reliance upon the burning of fossil fuels and move to a zero carbon economy by 2050.

Trade unions need to heed the call for action raised by the inspirational and global school student strikes and the peaceful civil disobedience of the Extinction Rebellion protests we saw in London.

The Broad left Network believes climate change is a trade union issue. The Earth’s temperature has already risen by one degree above pre-industrial levels. The Autumn IPCC report warned we have 12 years to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees. Carbon emissions need to be cut by 45% by 2030 to reach zero carbon by 2050 in order to avoid a dangerous tipping point. It is clear to all rational people, unfortunately that doesn’t apply to the current occupant of the Oval Office, that the future of our planet is at risk if we don’t organise now to force governments to cut emissions in line with the IPCC Report.

The Broad Left Network believe PCS and trade unions in UK must use their collective power to win support for the decisive action needed.

We stand for;

* Statutory rights for Green workplace reps and Trade Union led environmental risk assessments in every workplace.

* Machinery of government changes to ensure the Civil Service is ready to deliver environmental policies as part of a National Climate Service.

* Tax Justice to fund the investment, clean transport, energy efficiency measures and training programmes that can help create millions of new, skilled, unionised jobs while cutting greenhouse emissions.

*Build on the Lucas Plan, One million Climate Jobs, Just Transition: A civil service perspective and many other initiatives across the world to set out plans for a Just Transition that places the interests of workers and trade unionists at its centre.

* To campaign alongside Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, TUC affiliates and the Labour leadership for the public ownership and democratic control of Energy from the community, municipal to the government and global level.

* Strengthen the links between the trade union and environmental movement in UK and globally through joint campaigns, protests, peaceful civil disobedience and strikes to mobilise support for the system change needed.

* Support the call for a global climate strike on 20 September 2019 linking school students and trade unionists across the world.

* PCS support for the UCU call for a 30 minute stoppage on the 20 September 2019 and lobby the TUC to call for a nation- wide stoppage with actions in and outside workplaces and protests across towns and cities in the UK.

If you’d like to get involved with the Broad Left Network, please get in touch via our contact page. Thanks.

LU General Secretary Nomination: Where We Stand

LU General Secretary Election – Where we stand

The Broad Left Network (BLN) is an open group formed recently by socialists within Left Unity who want to ensure that both Left Unity and PCS are run in an open democratic manner, by the members, for the members on a fighting, democratic socialist programme

GS Election Arrangements are Unacceptable

We supported Marion Lloyd in the LU election to be the LU General Secretary candidate. Marion received a number of nominations but has withdrawn from the election. This is because of the way the election is being run by the LUNC majority. The election is not fair, is not democratic and is not being run in accordance with LU rules and long-established practices: –

* Individuals arbitrarily removed from membership and from participation in this election. 

* Candidates not being required to undertake to “recommend and campaign” for the successful candidate in line with rule 12.1 – Mark Serwotka has made it clear he will stand no matter what.

* Email voting brought in after the start of the nomination process to help the candidate supported by the LUNC majority. This is a new voting   arrangement not previously used, not agreed by the LU membership and not even put to the full LUNC. To change the voting arrangements in this way, after the election has already started is undemocratic and unprecedented. We have no trust in this LU election which is being run by the LUNC majority in a way that benefits their candidate. 

Two Candidates to Choose From

With Marion Lloyd’s withdrawal LU members will have two candidates to choose from – Hector Wesley and Mark Serwotka. 

As General Secretary for over 20 years Mark Serwotka has increasingly centralised power and decision making, with a consequential weakening of elected lay rep control of the union. We are opposed to this. Additionally, there are a number of other issues which we disagree with him over, including pay strategy, organising, gender recognition rights and political strategy.

Mark Serwotka, a member of Left Unity, decided to back non-LU member Lynn Henderson for AGS against Chris Baugh, the official Left Unity candidate. This raises questions about whether he is actually eligible to stand inside Left Unity to become the official LU candidate.  His campaign against the official LU candidate, Chris Baugh, led to a split in the LU vote and an AGS victory for the Independent Left candidate. 

As a long-standing lay rep within PCS, Hector Wesley understands the need for lay control. He supports Left Unity, stands for inclusivity, and is not in agreement with the way in which LU is being run by the LUNC.

Given the choice between Mark Serwotka and Hector Wesley the BLN understands if those who supported Marion Lloyd in this election wish to vote for Hector Wesley – as a protest about the way the SV/SWP have abused their majority position on the LUNC to corrupt the election and to oppose the increasing centralisation of power and decision making in the union under Mark Serwotka. 

The Fight Goes On 

The election for the LU GS candidate has once again – as it did with the AGS election – shown how far the SV/SWP supporters have taken LU from its traditions as a fighting, democratic and inclusive rank and file organisation. Under their control LU has become an extension of the PCS bureaucracy, with no room for genuine discussion and differences. We are opposed to these developments and those responsible.

Support the BLN

In the months ahead we’ll be continuing to put forward positive proposals for taking the left and socialist ideas in PCS forward on a whole range of issue including Pay, Equality, Organising/Bargaining, Democracy, Climate Change and political strategy.

We remain determined to rebuild a left and a left unity based on a fighting campaigning programme to put us in the best position to protect jobs, pay and conditions. Part of this must be to support policies and work to stop the centralisation of power and ensure that our union is run and controlled by lay members and support candidates who we believe will fight for these ideas.

Pay Campaign: Next Steps

The Senior Lay Reps Forum called for the 6th August meets at an important time. It can be the platform for continuing the national pay campaign in 2019 and preparing the ground for a successful national ballot in the future. The latest national pay ballot recorded the biggest ever vote in favour of industrial action. This was testament to the strenuous efforts of PCS reps and the anger of members towards the continued pay cap. The failure to achieve the legal threshold of 50% has been exploited by the employer. A further year of pay restraint has been imposed on the civil service and related areas. Departments are being encouraged to trade pay increases above the cap in return for further attacks upon terms and conditions. The government has announced a relaxation of the pay cap for many parts of the public sector, including the Senior Civil Service, but not for the overwhelming majority of civil servants. The contempt shown towards their own employees has caused a real anger amongst PCS members.

Conference in May debated pay at some length. The NEC motion was narrowly carried after a card vote but many reservations were raised about the failure to achieve the 50% in two successive ballots and the need for PCS to consider all tactics that can help us secure a legal mandate in future. The degree to which PCS decides to carry out aggregated or disaggregated votes is a tactical question and should be considered in future ballots. It should be noted that had PCS conducted disaggregated ballots in 2019 a significant number of employer groups would now have a legal mandate to fight on pay. These include HMRC, HMCTS, Rural Payments Agency, Land Registry, DVSA, Natural England, Health and Safety Executive, ACAS, Official Solicitor and 11 other important NDPBs which constitute a significant proportion of PCS members balloted.

The Senior Lay Reps Forum is a chance to receive reports from delegated areas but more importantly, to discuss how PCS nationally can both support and actively coordinate a response in the 2019 pay round. Groups facing increases in line with the pay cap and attempts by the employer to link pay to attacks on conditions need to be consulting members to reject and support action. The example set by members in MOJ gives confidence we can resist these further attacks on conditions. The NEC will need to work closely with groups and national branches in consulting members and continuing to apply the maximum pressure in 2019.

We need to prepare a further national ballot that increases our chances of winning the legal mandate we need to break the cap, resist attacks on terms and conditions and restore our right to bargain pay with the government. This should include the option of disaggregated ballots where the group and branch consider it will increase the turnout and vote for action. In view of the continued attacks upon jobs and offices in a number of major departments and the further and latest threat to redundancy payments and pensions, it is blindingly obvious we need to ensure any future national ballot links pay to these other vital members issues.

It is an abiding weakness in our national pay campaign message that we have yet to draw up and present a clear programme of national, targeted and sustained industrial action that can be supported by a levy from members and financed from the Fighting Fund. This work needs to be completed in readiness for a future national ballot.

Rebuilding our organisation from the workplace up is fundamental to preparing the ground for winning a legal mandate. This needs to complement the strategy highlighted above. PCS needs to work as closely as possible with other civil service unions to register our objection to a further year of pay cuts for civil servants and work on joint campaign activities wherever possible. We also need to use the platform we have at the TUC, STUC and WTUC to build for the coordinated campaign and industrial action of public sector unions in line with TUC congress policy.

The Broad Left Network welcomes this vital discussion at the Senior Lay Reps Forum. With an open and honest assessment of where we are, we can maintain pressure on pay in 2019 and prepare the ground to win the decisive legal mandate vital for reversing the decline in members pay and winning the union’s demands.

Marion Lloyd Confirms Withdrawal from LU GS Nomination Process

I have decided to withdraw from the election process to determine the Left Unity candidate for General Secretary – the official PCS election process is being run later this year. I have discussed with supporters of the Broad Left Network who fully endorse my decision which has not been an easy one to make. This statement is to explain why I have come to this view

I have always been proud to be a member of Left Unity. Like others I helped to build Left Unity and develop its programme. I have helped develop strong democratic traditions and accountability. This has enabled debate and discussion to try to ensure our approach is inclusive and encompasses the best of everything and everybody.

I believe that these things that I and many others fought for are now being undermined –  and undermined in a way which does not help us to act in the best interests of our members in a very challenging period.

It is becoming clear that the General Secretary election process being run by the Left Unity National Committee (LUNC) is not being run in line with our agreed rules and practices. It is not being run in a democratic fashion.

I have raised my concerns about these undemocratic practices in a letter (attached) to Lorna Merry and Gordon Rowntree (Chair and Secretary of Left Unity). Despite reminding them, I have not even had an acknowledgment let alone a response. 

The Left Unity National Committee has the responsibility to ensure that the Left Unity elections are run in accordance with LU rules and the process is equal and fair for all candidates. In this election they have knowingly and deliberately failed to carry out the role that is expected of them. 

*  It seems that a significant number of Left Unity members have been denied a vote. l have challenged the fact that members have been denied a vote in this election. Those members who were identified as not paying their subscriptions, despite a valid Standing Order form being provided in good faith and in good time, were not informed of this until the 9th June 2019. Despite this the majority on the LUNC have insisted on enforcing a deadline of 31st May when clearly a longer period could have been provided to maximise participation within the timeframe of the election process.

* I and several others have challenged the LUNC majority decision to remove the obligation on all candidates in LU elections to give an undertaking “that they will recommend and campaign” for the successful LU candidate in the PCS ballot. (Rule 12.1).  I believe all candidates should be required to give this undertaking if they wish to be a Left Unity candidate. 

* I have protested about the attempt by several LU Group convenors to introduce new, unagreed voting arrangements at the nomination meetings. These new arrangements have never happened before and are contrary to LU rules. At the Glasgow meeting the convenor and his supporters who were in a minority walked out when his attempt to impose new voting arrangements was challenged. Different rules have been used in different areas, with email voting invited in some and not in others. The LU National Secretary has now sent out a confused email suggesting that some meetings should be re-run with different rules at less than 4 days’ notice. The voting arrangements set out in advance of this election have now been completely changed in the final week leading up to the close of nominations.

This all leads to my concerns that the LU election process is therefore being run to benefit the preferred candidate of the SV/SWP majority on the LUNC – Mark Serwotka – and that their control of Left Unity is being misused in this election. 

My decision to stand for the LU nomination for General Secretary was explained when I announced my candidature, including how we grow the union and its strength:

•  Proactively pursuing our bargaining agenda and linking in our organising and campaigning work

•  An independent political voice

•  Equality in Practice

I remain absolutely committed to the programme l set out. However, if I continue to participate in this election, with no evidence it will be run in line with LU rules and practise, l will give validity to a deeply flawed process. It is being run in an entirely different manner to all other LU internal elections and out with the established rules. I am not prepared to legitimise this undemocratic process. 

I have explained my concerns to Hector Wesley, who has put his name forward as a candidate, and informed him of my decision to withdraw. 

I have received support from the Broad Left Network (BLN) and from many individual members. I am grateful for their efforts in securing a growing number of nominations for me at LU Group meetings. This has not been an easy decision for me to take, but I cannot go along with the fundamentally undemocratic running of this election which run counter to the values, the democratic and inclusive traditions and rules of Left Unity.

I continue to have absolute faith in our members and the future of PCS. I hope everyone will oppose this blatant attack on democracy and work with me to rebuild a left and Left Unity based on a fighting campaigning programme to put us in the best position to protect jobs, pay and conditions. Part of this must be to work to stop the centralisation of power and ensure that our union is run and controlled by lay members for the members. 

That work must start now!

Statement on the LU Nomination Process

Since announcing our support for Marion Lloyd’s intention to seek the Left Unity nomination for PCS General Secretary, BLN has been delighted to see positive responses from members across the union.  Not only is Marion a highly-experienced lay activist who has an exemplary track record of delivering for PCS members, but she is also a dedicated socialist and organiser who is standing on the basis of a political programme designed to increase participation throughout our union and improve the lives of all PCS members. The positive response to Marion’s candidacy clearly demonstrates that members support BLN’s campaign for fundamental changes within PCS, alongside members’ rejection of the personality politics and attacks on democracy which have come to characterise Mark Serwotka’s election campaign and more broadly, the Socialist View’s approach to trade unionism.

BLN organises within LU and as such, is happy to accept democratic decisions arrived at by LU members. However, BLN has grave concerns regarding the integrity of the current nomination process, which if left unresolved, will lead to serious questions regarding the validity of its outcome.

Upon the announcement of Marion’s candidacy, the convenors of both the Fylde and West of Scotland LU Groups announced unprecedented changes to the nomination process, whereby members who were unable to attend the nomination meeting would be allowed to vote via email.

To be clear on this point, the LU constitution states as follows “12.2 Nominations will be sought from Geographical Groups for all PCS Election Slates and National Committee posts and must be carried at a properly convened meeting of a Geographical Group.” In practice, there is no constitutional provision to allow members who did not attend to vote on any decision taken by any LU Geographical Group, which is consistent with practices at any meeting, be that within LU, PCS or any other organisation.

The SV claims that this move was designed to increase participation in the nomination process, however this is the very same SV who used their majority on the LU National Committee to retrospectively announce that in order to be deemed eligible to participate in the LU GS nomination process, members would need to be fully paid up by 31st May. Not only did this announcement breach the LU Constitution (which states at 12.4 that the cut-off date is 30th September), but it gave those members who had genuine problems with their subs no opportunity to resolve this prior to being deemed ineligible to vote. This has disenfranchised a number of LU activists and in taking these steps, it is clear that the SV has no interest in democratic participation but rather has made a determination that these actions will provide an electoral benefit to Mark Serwotka.

Unlike the SV, the BLN is genuinely committed to improving the democratic processes within LU and recognises that there are many valid reasons why LU members cannot attend important meetings. However it is completely unacceptable for convenors to unilaterally announce changes to voting regulations some three or four days prior to meetings. It is clear that the proper place to review LU’s democratic structures as at the LU AGM.

Unfortunately, the SV’s contempt for democracy led to farcical scenes at the West of Scotland nomination meeting where, in a move reminiscent of Marion Chambers, the convenor refused to allow votes to take place on a total of four separate proposals. Significantly, one of these proposals was to put the question of inclusion of email votes to the meeting. SV attendees claimed that the meeting had no authority to vote on this as the convenor was acting under direct instruction from the LU National Committee, however the LU Secretary, Gordon Rowntree, has stated in writing that “how those nominations are sought is usually left for areas to decide”.

Clearly, there was no such instruction from the LU National Committee to include email votes and as such the West of Scotland meeting, per Gordon Rowntree’s written confirmation, had every right to vote on the matter. The real reason this vote was blocked was because the SV was concerned that the West of Scotland meeting was set to nominate Marion Lloyd.

When it became clear that attendees would not drop the call for a vote, the convenor announced that he was suspending the meeting. Given that the convenor has no authority to unilaterally suspend a properly convened meeting, demands were made to put this to a vote and once again, the convenor refused. The convenor then walked out of the meeting. As a result, a vote was taken on the question of suspension and it was agreed that the meeting should continue. The remaining SV supporters disagreed with this outcome, and left. Following this there was a full & proper debate, consistent with LU regulations, concluding with the West of Scotland Group voting to nominate Marion Lloyd.

BLN has no doubt that the SV will currently be considering how to use its majority on the LU National Committee to rule this result out of order, however the SV should take note that there is absolutely no constitutional basis for doing so. Should the LU National Committee make such a ruling, it will call the validity of the LU nomination process into major doubt.

Marion Lloyd: Statement on Standing for General Secretary

Left Unity Candidate

Left Unity is holding an election to decide our General Secretary candidate. I am putting my name forward with the support of the Broad Left Network – a newly formed group within Left Unity.

Please attend your local LU group meeting and nominate me.

About Me

I have been active in the union for more than thirty years and helped build the left. I have represented members at all levels of our union – locally and nationally. I am currently a member of the PCS National Executive Committee. 

I have worked in Government Departments including the Ministry of Defence, both Employment and Social Security (now DWP), the private sector and now latterly in BEIS (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)- where I am the Group President.

I have a huge amount of experience as a negotiator. I have led many successful disputes including, most recently, strike action to prevent the closure of the Sheffield BIS office and protect jobs. 

I have been a member of PCS Left Unity/CPSA Broad Left, all my working life.  I am a socialist and a member of the Socialist Party.

Left Unity – Change is Needed

I am appalled at the way the Socialist View/SWP majority on the Left Unity National Committee has completely undermined the basic traditions of Left Unity as an open, inclusive and democratic organisation. Members are attacked for holding and expressing views that are different to theirs. Support for non-LU candidates against official LU candidates is tolerated and even encouraged. 

This cannot go on. Change is necessary to reclaim Left Unity as a broad based, open organisation where debate is encouraged and where the official candidates elected in a fair election by LU members are fully supported. 

PCS is a Great Union – We Can Do Better

I am proud to be a member of PCS but am concerned at the way in which control and decision making has become increasingly top down and centralised. We need to reassert elected lay control at all levels over all major decisions affecting us. 

I know that our union and members have been singled out by successive governments. This had had a huge impact on us with membership nearly halved and wage cuts in real terms by about 20% There is a disconnect between organisation/recruitment and the bargaining agenda and the needs of our members. This has to be put right. We must grow the union and its strength; linking bargaining with campaigning and organising, in my experience is vital to grow our union and therefore our strength.

An Independent Political Voice

I believe we need a strong political voice. This should be expressed currently by supporting the Corbyn leadership and anti-austerity agenda. But we must remain politically independent and put the needs of our members and our policies first.

Equality in Practise

I am totally committed to an equality agenda which puts equality truly at the centre of our bargaining agenda and also proactively campaigns for the rights of all our members – women, black, LGBTQ+ and disabled members. It is not enough to adopt a top down approach to equality, for example through the appointment/election of women to positions at the top of the union- though the record here should be much better. Only 30% of the delegates to the 2019 annual delegate conference were women, it’s at this level that urgent change is required ensuring equal representation of all members – the barriers in the way of this need to be identified and removed. 

My Pledge

I will be issuing more detailed explanations of what I stand for – some of which can be found on the BLN website. But I want to conclude this launch statement with a promise. “I will seek no material gain from being elected General Secretary. I will take no more than my current wages, the rest I will give back to the union.”