Left Unity warmly welcomes the election of Fran Heathcote as PCS’s new General Secretary. Fran will be the first woman general secretary in the 130-year history of PCS and its predecessor unions. 

Regrettably, LU candidate Paul O’Connor was unsuccessful in the election for AGS. Paul has been a fantastic candidate for the left, championing our campaign on refugee rights and developing the successful industrial strategy that put more money in members pockets in 2023.

Our conference on Saturday will hear from Fran and discuss the implications of the election results as we gear up for a new industrial action campaign over pay and members living standards in the UK civil service. 

The result means that Left Unity have again secured the leadership of the union despite the divisive and negative campaign ran by our opponents, who stooped to dishonesty and outrageous allegations about the current leadership. 

Such negative campaigning undermines members’ confidence in the union, as can be seen from the low turnout in these elections. It was that factor which allowed our opponents in the AGS election to overcome the positive campaigning message of Left Unity. 

Left Unity’s task is to now build unity across our union, to counter the sectarianism and division offered by our opponents, and win for members again in 2024.