PCS Broad Left Network

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 Marion received a number of nominations but has withdrawn from the election.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.

The Senior Lay Reps Forum called for the 6^th 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.

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 9^th June 2019. Despite this the majority on the LUNC have insisted on enforcing a deadline of 31^st 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!

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.

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.” 

Left Unity is holding elections to decide who its General Secretary candidate should be – the Broad Left Network has agreed to support Marion Lloyd and urges Left Unity members to nominate Marion at your forthcoming LU branch nomination meetings.

PCS members have been singled out by successive governments, leading to a significant reduction in union membership and members facing real-terms pay cuts of around 20% over the last decade. There is major disconnect between organising & recruitment and PCS’ bargaining agenda. This has to be fixed and requires a new strategy.

Marion has been active in PCS for forty years and has made major contributions to both PCS successes and the growth of the left, having been a member of Left Unity (and the Broad Left prior to LU’s formation) all of her working life. She’s represented members from local to national level, currently serving as both a member of the NEC and the BEIS Group President. Marion has a wealth of experience and has used this to lead many successful disputes, including most recently leading strike action to prevent the closure of the Sheffield BEIS office.

Marion’s record as a union activist is undisputable and as a socialist and member of the Socialist Party, Marion is dedicated to campaigning for the changes PCS requires to defeat the government’s anti-union agenda. This includes the following aims…

• A grassroots equality agenda – PCS needs to fight for BAME, Disabled, LGBT & Women members’ rights throughout the union. PCS currently has a top-down approach to equality – we need to identify and remove barriers so that Equalities Strands are fully represented within every tier of the union, addressing problems such as women constituting only 30% of delegates to conference and the shameful discrimination still faced by transgender activists from some activists on the left
• Empowerment of lay activists – PCS can only be successful if activists are given the support and confidence to build the union from the ground up. Local activists understand the issues facing members better than anyone and should be front & centre in developing PCS’ bargaining agenda. The run-up to the recent pay ballot saw a huge number of activists’ views ignored which led to a failure to meet the ballot threshold and left conference split down the middle at a time when solidarity is vital
• A safe space for democratic debate – personal attacks against activists expressing their views has to stop. In doing this, PCS needs to reverse the trend towards the top-down centralisation that has dominated decision making over the last year. Democratic decisions should be respected, but only when activists have the confidence to put forward their views without fear of recrimination
• A strong political voice – PCS members will benefit from a Corbyn-led government delivering an anti-austerity agenda, however in supporting this it is vital that PCS retains its political independence

In addition to campaigning for these aims, Marion has made a personal promise that should she be elected as General Secretary, she will seek no material gain from the position and only take her current wages. Marion will give anything over and above this back to PCS.

BLN is delighted to not only have a candidate of Marion’s calibre standing in the LU election process, but also, to have a candidate who is dedicated to campaigning for a programme which will enshrine democracy, equality and socialism at the heart of PCS and LU. Please support our campaign and nominate Marion to be Left Unity’s candidate for PCS General Secretary.

Welcome to the PCS Broad Left Network blog and website. More to follow – but we will provide regular updates about our campaign as it progresses. Thanks.