My name is Alistair Maxwell and I have been a PCS Representative for approximately 25 years, firstly in Department of National Savings, then in Siemens, Atos and now TUPEd again to Sopra Steria, which had formed a new National Branch of which I am the chair. I am a member of Left Unity. I am also currently President of the Private Sector Members Association and have a long track record of supporting members and negotiating with tough employers in the Commercial Sector. It is vital that we get the best for our members and I believe that we can only do that by getting the best candidates in place in our national structures.

Having been in the same job for 9 years as a Civil Servant and 27 years now in the Private Sector I have seen what a difference subsequent transfers bring: an erosion of terms and conditions, members leaving the business for “economic reasons” with reductions in headcount and further economies always on the horizon. So far, no great wave of the promised insourcing by the Labour Government has materialised and in fact privatisations continue as has been seen recently by the awarding to Capita (making a great job of Civil Service pensions) of Civil Service payroll. What could go wrong? All of these sell-offs have made fortunes for consultants and large companies, hardly any of which are owned in the UK and with little for UK taxpayers to show for it. All the result of years of Government dogma and austerity programmes.

We should be investing in our public services and the Civil Service to get a better deal for all the UK.