Supporters of the so-called “NEC Majority” attempted to pass a series of cuts to PCS budgets and services at the NEC meeting held on 7^th November.

Supporters of the coalition tabled proposals to:

• Impose real terms cuts to every budget in the union by setting a 0% increase.
• To impose further cuts to overspent budgets including the conference budget, legal services budget, membership benefits and our benevolent fund.
• To freeze the pay of PCS staff by setting a 0% budget increase. 
• In language reminiscent of George Osborne the ‘NEC Majority’ attempted to force budget holders to ‘identify waste and find savings’ to budgets. 
• Impose austerity on the union’s own budget and to tear up the financial objectives democratically agreed at ADC in May of this year.
• Block a subscriptions increase of 17p in 2025 in favour of continuing to collect the Levy. A subs freeze will mean that we need to cut our services by £1.3M next year.

Our General Secretary, Fran Heathcote, had to intervene to prevent these cuts taking place and to move an alternative budget that was balanced, and which protected members services. A final decision will be taken on the budget at the next NEC scheduled for December.  

Left Unity members at the meeting expressed outrage and anger at the proposals, pointing out that the language being used by NEC Majority supporters used to justify their proposals was the same as that used by Tories when imposing cuts on public services and attacking PCS members.

Our supporters pointed out that a political choice to impose budget cuts would mean union services are cut. Critical budgets, including legal services, member benefits, the benevolent fund and Group and Branch funds would all need to be reduced and that funding in these areas is  already over stretched. Cutting them would be a disaster for members.    

In a rare moment of honesty, an Independent Left supporter made clear that their proposals were designed to create chaos and to attack Fran, the first woman leader of our union.

Why won’t the ‘NEC Majority’ suspend the levy?

At the same meeting Democracy Alliance members on the National Executive Committee put forward a proposal for the immediate suspension of the Levy. PCS members are currently paying £5 or £3 per month into the Levy which was devised for the National Campaign under the leadership of the Left Unity majority NEC in 2023. It was designed to support PCS members taking targeted strike action in support our demands. Over £5M was raised at that point and £6.8M paid to striking PCS members.

Our position is that, given no targeted industrial action is currently taking place or is likely to be called in the near future, that continuing to collect the Levy is ludicrous. Members and activists are quite rightly asking why money is continuing to be collected in those circumstances. 

The NEC meeting received evidence that what was once a popular method of collecting funds to support strike action in support of clear demands delivered by a clear plan is now increasingly subject to criticism from members and activists.     

Based on that evidence – and evidence from Group Executive Committees and Branches showing strong support for suspension of the Levy – Left Unity members, and our comrades in the PCS Democrats, moved to suspend the Levy with immediate effect.

We were disappointed, but not surprised, that despite winning a majority vote, the motion was blocked by supporters of the so-called NEC Majority, as there wasn’t a two-thirds majority in favour of revisiting the decision.

Unbelievably, the same people who had claimed that members could not afford a subscriptions increase of 17p were determined to continue to collect a much higher payment into a Levy that they are not intending to use.

The truth is clear

PCS members were promised a change in direction by the “Coalition” when it gained a small majority on the NEC in May.

Left Unity has consistently argued that the change that would actually be delivered would be  damaging to both the union and our members.

After a series of embarrassing u-turns since May, and the increasingly hostile and personalised attacks on our National President and General Secretary, this latest attempt to hamstring the union is surely their lowest point yet.

Left Unity will continue to demand the levy be paused, and remain totally committed to a socialist programme of building our union, and delivering for members.

We urge every activist or member of PCS, who genuinely cares about our union, to work with us to bring back some order, and place our members needs and the services we provide, at the top of our agenda.

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