Left Unity members will know that we have just come through a month of chaos due to the Broad Left Network (BLN), the Independent Left (IL) and President Bev Laidlaw attempting to unconstitutionally bulldoze through new standing orders without a two-thirds majority.

This move caused a serious crisis for the union as the lack of constitutionally agreed standing orders left the NEC unable to hold meetings, and NEC sub-committees also unable to meet. Most notably the National Disputes Committee, which authorises industrial action ballots and strikes, was unable to provide the necessary support for branches and give authority for disputes during this period of paralysis brought on by the new NEC ‘majority’.

Following the General Secretary providing a pragmatic way for the coalition to climb down – allowing the National President to seek a second legal opinion on the subject of the NEC standing orders and their status under PCS rules, despite the union already having clear legal advice  – and pressure from the FCDO Group (who had a live mandate for strike action), a sliver of common sense has finally broken through thanks to Fran brokering this agreement to achieve a two thirds majority for the standing orders at an emergency NEC meeting on 7th July.

Only the Deputy President, Dave Semple, spoke in the debate on the General Secretary’s standing orders paper, stating that he and many others were supporting the paper “under protest”, not because they agreed with the content (although two abstained). Dave Semple’s statement was dutifully reported in the subsequent Record of Decisions of that meeting. 

At the brief meeting on the 7th the Standing Orders were agreed enabling the National Disputes Committee to subsequently meet and authorise action. The key point though is that the General Secretary and those NEC members of the Democracy Alliance who supported her, have ensured that the rules, democracy and governance arrangements of the union have been defended and upheld.

At the full NEC on 15/16 July – which could only take place because the NEC have finally adopted standing orders – Fiona Brittle initially opposed the adoption of the Record of Decisions (RODS) on the basis that the above mentioned statement by the Deputy President included was made on behalf of the entire ‘Coalition for Change’, not him personally.

There are obviously two problems with this opposition:
1) the statement clearly wasn’t on behalf of the whole Coalition of Chaos as some abstained rather than supported the paper; and 2) the statement in the RODS was the verbatim record of what the Deputy President had said, as the General Secretary pointed out.

Dave Semple himself advised the whole NEC that he had emailed through the text of his statement to the General Secretary so that it could be accurately reported in the record of the meeting, and he had no objections with the NEC agreeing the RODs. The RODs were unanimously agreed, with Fiona Brittle being left suitably embarrassed.

Fifteen minutes spent showing us that the ultra left hand didn’t seem to know what their chaotic right hand was doing.

Sadly, the chaos didn’t end there. Left Unity members alongside their PCS Democrat comrades objected to the proposal to remove senior Vice President, Jackie Green as Chair of the National Women’s Forum (NWF), and from the committee entirely. A succession of men then spoke from the Coalition of Chaos to tell Jackie Green that she didn’t have the right line on issues affecting women.

An attempted compromise motion, moved again by a man (Joe Dale – AWL wing of the Coalition of Chaos), proposed to reinstate Jackie to the committee as vice chair. This was again opposed by Fiona Brittle, in a further act of sectarianism, who supported the inclusion of Rachel Heemskerk as sole chair. Heemskerk herself declaring that she was better suited to the role on the NWF as ‘Trans members’ needed supporting and Jackie wouldn’t do that. This being the latest attempt by the coalition to use the Trans debate as a political football, while also denigrating the character of a Democracy Alliance member, who has fully supported our Trans community. Interestingly for the second time the coalition divided as Dave Semple told Fiona Brittle and everyone else what was best for women and the compromise motion was agreed.

Such compromise, however, was not on display later in the meeting when, just as happened two years ago, the Coalition of Chaos used their majority on the NEC to bar a vice president (again Jackie Green) from being part of the PCS delegation to TUC. A move that never once happened under the Democracy Alliance leadership. Her place would be taken by the twice-embarrassed Fiona Brittle.

The Democracy Alliance were also forced to call out the Coalition for the ‘forum of men’ AKA the OEC committee that was proposed.  Committees under the Democracy Alliance have always had a gender balance and also a balance of members from each of the factions.  This year, but for the Democracy Alliance, following recommendations from the coalition the OEC would have been populated by men, with the President a lone woman, as the vice-chair.  The Deputy President claimed that this was an ‘oversight’ and invited the NEC to suspend standing orders to enable him to fix the situation. He then advised the President to suspend standing orders, which she dutifully did, and the Deputy President then called for further nominations. It is abundantly clear that it is his hand controlling the NEC – not the hand of the President.

On the National Campaign paper moved by the General Secretary – following talks with the President, AGS and Deputy President – it was agreed that Groups would be consulted on whether they wanted to be part of the Coalition’s proposal for a national ballot over pay, jobs and a shopping list of other issues.

Groups, even those led by figures from the Coalition of Chaos, had evidently ignored the earlier injunction from its strategic geniuses not to engage in delegated talks on pay.

Hector Wesley, a national vice president, reported warmly the progress made in delegated talks in HMRC. That then raises the question of whether the union’s second largest group would want to be part of a national pay and jobs ballot, in a group in which its President is reporting significant progress on pay, and an increase in jobs!

NEC member Joe Dale also reported on his Group’s delegated talks in MHCLG, so another Group has ignored the position of the Broad Left Network not to engage and make decisions in delegated talks.

Once again, it seems like the transition is yet to take place from shouting from the fringes to actually stewarding the union in members’ interests – our members deserve better than this chaos from the coalition that currently has a majority on the NEC.

Away from the confusion and contradiction, the General Secretary was able to report to the NEC that PCS membership is up, progress on facility time had been secured (including for attendance at NEC meetings), insourcing had been secured for thousands of members, and the union finances are healthy. This is what our General Secretary has delivered, despite the chaos surrounding her on the NEC, and the hostility shown towards her by the Coalition for Chaos and National President.

Finally, on a point of unity, it was agreed that the NEC should delay the start of the second day of the meeting on 16 July so that members could attend FCDO picket lines. Left Unity and all members of the Democracy Alliance send our full solidarity to striking members in their defence of jobs and pay.

So where next for PCS?
As group’s await further information as to what their expected role will be as part of the national campaign, it is worth reflecting that we are still in early days of this NEC despite us being some two and a half months into the electoral year. This is solely due to the deliberate decision of the Coalition for Chaos in June to prioritise a sectarian fight over PCS rules rather progressing winning for members.

Left Unity is clear that if we are to avoid a repeat of this chaos, we must build the understanding of both activists and members that supporting the opportunistic narrative of the Coalition of Chaos has consequences, and Left Unity will work with any member and activist that wishes to prioritise progressive policies that benefit our members over all other considerations.

Please share this with others, continue to build our union, encouraging members and activists to get more involved, and consider joining Left Unity.