50 people met in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, last week to plan a campaign to prevent the Reform Party from making a breakthrough in the local council elections. Hucknall is next door to Reform MP Lee Anderson’s Ashfield constituency so beating them here is very important.

PCS representatives were involved from the outset in helping set up a Stand Up To Racism meeting which was aimed at getting local anti racists, trade unionists and labour movement activists together. Speakers included PCS regional secretary Dani Jackson and NEU NEC member Louise Regan. The audience included trade unionists, Labour Party, ex Labour activists and crucially ex miners, as this was a mining town.

Speakers talked about the need both to confront the racism of the Reform Party, but also to recognise that many people have voted for them out of frustration, and what is crucial is to find out what the concerns people have are and to address them. Many people are concerned about housing, unemployment, the cost of living etc and these are issues that are not caused by immigration or refugees. Also we have to point out the anti working class reality of Reform, only last week their MPs voted against the Employment Rights bill.

The meeting committed to campaigning in the area on the streets and in the workplaces to turn the tide on Reform. Meetings and campaigns like this are going on up and down the country and Left Unity would encourage every PCS member to get involved.

In Birmingham on 28th March PCS is supporting a protest against a Reform rally in the city.

The PCS anti racist anti fascist strategy can be found here https://www.mypcs.pcs.org.uk/s/article/Download-the-PCS-Anti-racist-and-anti-fascist-strategy

And there is a useful factsheet exposing the reality of Reform here https://www.standuptoracism.org.uk/wp-content2015/uploads/2025/02/SUtR-Reform-UK-factsheet-A4-2pp-3mm-bld-_QR_updated.pdf

Pete Jackson Midlands regional chair (pc)

PCS NEC election season is once again upon us, and with it comes the usual sudden upturn in activity from the Socialist Party, led by its chief PCS mouthpiece and perennial election candidate, Marion Lloyd.

There are few things in life that Marion enjoys more than the sound of her own voice, so it is no surprise that she is now publicly calling for another meeting so she can further indulge her favourite pastime.

In order to justify her call, she points to a press article this week in The Guardian, which highlighted plans by a right-wing Labour think tank to take a “chainsaw” to the civil service.

That approach has already been comprehensively dismissed by the government.  They described it as a “juvenile characterisation” of their plans for the civil service.

Not that this has deterred Marion. She has again today reiterated her call, claiming that the General Secretary and the National President are “asleep at the wheel”; and claiming that the government has “cut NHS England by 50%”.

It is Marion who appears to be asleep. The government has today in fact announced that NHS England will be abolished, not cut; and that the health service will be brought back into democratic control.

PCS has long argued for a more coherent public service delivery model, with an active state that mobilises to improve the lives of the public.  We do not believe that quangos are the best way to achieve this and we welcome moves to bring arm’s-length bodies back under direct state control.

Furthermore, in NHS England, PCS has a membership density of around 1.14%.  Our negotiators have matters in hand and are in talks with the employer to ensure that the interests of those members are protected during any transfer process into the Department for Health and Social Care. 

It is therefore unclear why this development necessitates an emergency NEC meeting, particularly in light of discussions that have taken place at ministerial level on rewiring the civil service, reported on yesterday by the General Secretary here; and in light of the statement issued by the General Secretary today in response to the Prime Minister’s announcements which can be found here

Unclear that it is, until you realise that it is election season, and Marion needs some strawmen to knock down, probably to deflect from 12 months of achieving nothing other than continuing to unnecessarily soak members for a levy. 

PCS activists and members should not be fooled by this ridiculous posturing.

On Friday, 28th February, Scottish Left Unity members attended Scotland’s first-ever PCS policy-making conference. This landmark event represents a significant opportunity for PCS Scotland to raise, debate, and vote on issues that affect Scotland as a devolved nation.  Left Unity was at the forefront of securing conferences for the devolved nations.

Since the inauguration of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, numerous policies have been passed, many of which focus on workers’ rights. The Scottish arm of Left Unity has been at the forefront of the campaign for a Fair Work agreement. Unlike the national PCS policy, which currently lacks a stance on fair work, this conference allows PCS members to set mandates on Scottish-specific issues.

The standing orders committee received 46 motions, of which 31 were passed to be heard. These motions covered a range of topics, including expanding fiscal autonomy, changes to devolved taxation, supporting the Scottish Service Tax to calling for an expansion to the now faltering free school meals initiative. Additionally, the conference instructed the Scottish Executive Committee to produce campaign materials to explain these issues to members and the public.

As with any new committee, the model constitution required adjustments, particularly in the language used. Terms like ‘Devolved Area’ and the designation of PCS Scotland were refined to better reflect the unique context of Scottish governance.

This first PCS policy-making conference in Scotland marks a pivotal moment for PCS Scotland, providing a platform for meaningful discussion and decision-making on issues pertinent to Scotland as a devolved nation. This event underscores the importance of influencing and campaigning on Scottish policymaking and to hold Scotland to its fair work agreement.

The first DWP Young Members Seminar was held in Birmingham last month. Saul Cahill, Deputy Chair of DWP Group YMAC, and a PCS Left Unity member on the DWP GEC, writes about the successful event.

I was really glad to have the opportunity to chair this event, which was organised by Group Young Members Officer Jo Pritchard in collaboration with the Young Members Advisory Committee and with the full backing of the Group President Angela Grant and other LU GEC members.

General Secretary, Fran Heathcote, opened the event and restated her commitment to young members and described her journey as an activist.

YMAC members were supported to deliver some of the seminar sessions for the first time, including one on Strategic Organising, and really showcased the ability of young reps and activists to take a leading role in organising and educating.

Ellen Clifford, from Disabled People Against the Cuts, spoke powerfully on the devastating impact both the previous and current government’s approach to ‘welfare reform’ had on disabled people and the broader population. Angela Grant spoke on how crucial it is for our group to maintain and build upon these relationships as we fight together for a fairer social security system. Delegates from across DWP have continued to feed in their insight into where our department fails as our group looks to build a vision for a fairer, more just, social security system.

Group Organiser, Mark Byers, led a session on the importance of building density to increase worker power and on some of the tools activists can use to motivate non-members to become members.

A Q&A with Martin Cavanagh, Angela Grant and National Young Members Committee Chair and Vice Chairs Louis Radforth and Simmeron Katbamna, explored the challenges facing our group in the year ahead, how young workers can be protected from bullying and harassment in work and more.

What was striking about the event was the variety of experiences of the delegates who attended and how, for many, this was the first PCS event they’d ever attended. It spoke to how important it is for young members to have the space to meet, develop and share experiences as well as the value of senior reps and activists helping to create these spaces and vocally showing their support as they have in our group.