The PCS NEC met on 23 October and 19 November 2025 to consider the outcome of the recent consultation with members on the national campaign.

This followed a post-Conference meeting held in May 2025 where the Democracy Alliance-led NEC had considered how the two national campaign motions carried at Annual Delegate Conference might be taken forward.

At conference Left Unity had opposed Motion A383, as the vast majority of its demands had already been submitted in writing to the employer in July 2024; the PCS national pay claim having been submitted in February 2024.  The two further demands contained within the instruction were an £18 an hour minimum wage, up from the previous demand of £15 an hour, and opposition to Mutually Agreed Exits.

Left Unity supported Motion A2 which welcomed that national talks were already underway with the Cabinet Office – talks directly aimed at resolving the problems inherent within the civil service pay system and the motion agreed to prioritise: the securing of annual inflation proofed pay rises and pay restoration; greater coherence of pay for UK civil servants, with an ultimate objective of securing national pay scales containing a single rate for the job at each grade; and securing national pay bargaining.

Both motions called on the NEC to assess progress in talks however, whilst motion A2 called on the NEC to test members on a campaign of industrial action in the event of insufficient progress, Motion A383 called for a ballot by mid-September 2025 in the event of insufficient progress.

In taking these motions forward immediately post-conference, the Democracy Alliance members on the NEC agreed to write to the employer making clear that:

• the 2025/26 pay remit guidance will not address our members aspirations and is therefore not acceptable to PCS
• greater urgency was required in discussions on the pay and reward strategy for the civil service in order to seriously address issues; and seeking to agree a timetable for those
• our demand for a minimum wage was uprated from £15 to £18 an hour
• we are opposed to the mutually agreed exits proposal and require a serious agreement on job security

Despite opposition from the BLN/IL coalition, all Left Unity and PCS Democrat NEC members agreed to pursue those issues, and to maximise the amount of money available to members from the CS remit as quickly as possible. Learning from our opponents disastrous decision last year to delay delegated negotiations, our majority on the NEC agreed to instruct our group negotiators at delegated level to engage in talks on pay to secure the maximum monies available, prioritising higher increases for the lowest paid.

The Democracy Alliance supported the General Secretary’s commitment to bringing forward a timetable to the July NEC meeting for members’ meetings. Those meetings would enable the union leadership to consider progress in negotiations at national and delegated level; and to test members on their readiness for an industrial confrontation if necessary. 

At its meeting in July 2025, the NEC agreed on a ballot-ready strategy and a series of members’ meetings to test the members on their willingness to engage in industrial action. The speaker’s brief for the meetings gave members an update of where we were in negotiations and set out the key question to be answered: whether we move to industrial action at this stage or allow more time for the talks to progress.

The ballot ready strategy also set three structure tests to assess our readiness.  The feedback from the members’ meetings, and the results of the structure tests, made it crystal clear that it would be an error at this stage to move to a ballot for industrial action.

NATIONAL TALKS ON PAY & REWARD

At the NEC meeting held on 23 October 2025, the NEC received a report on the national talks, which are beginning to hold out the prospect of serious progress on our objectives. The Cabinet Office has accepted that low pay and incoherence in the system create serious problems across the civil service; and serious talks are underway to address both issues. 

Inevitably, the issue of how any changes will be paid for will be a key factor in dictating any progress.  The union has prepared well for this, with the union’s primary position in negotiations, supported by our academic work, is that civil service pay will pay for itself over the longer term, and deliver more into the Treasury coffers.  Therefore, showing there is no affordability barrier.

PCS have also made a clear case that pay restoration can be funded through our proposals for financial gains within the civil service.  Certainly the expansion of more flexible working, particularly a significant increase in hybrid working, could produce serious savings on running costs that could be recycled into pay. 

The Democracy Alliance members of the NEC recognised that there is a persuasive argument to be made, backed up by our academic evidence, about how a pay restoration, job security and improved flexible working agreement is in the interests of PCS members, the wider economy, and the government’s stated aims.

The NEC have therefore agreed that we will press the employer for such an agreement across the civil service and its related areas, supported by Left Unity and the Democracy Alliance members of the NEC.

With members indicating in the consultation that they wish to give talks time to progress, it is absolutely the correct move to focus in the coming period on securing positive outcomes in negotiations.

Obviously, the success or failure of these talks will be determined by the final outcome; and Left Unity are clear that an industrial campaign will be required in the event that they fail to deliver sufficient progress.

PAY TALKS AT DELEGATED LEVEL

As stated earlier the NEC had already agreed that we would enter talks at delegated level, and all the indications are that in the main PCS negotiators have maximised the monies available for PCS members as soon as possible, with priority being given to the lowest paid.  They also indicate that the union’s strategy of pressing the Cabinet Office at national level for specific provision on low pay in the civil service pay remit guidance, and then engaging at delegated level to maximise that provision, has put more money in the pockets of low-paid workers as early as possible, with thousands of members receiving pay rises in the junior grades which are well in excess of the 3.75% remit figure.

Where this has not been delivered though, the Democracy Alliance-led National Disputes Committee have authorised strike ballots, and the Left Unity majority in our biggest group, DWP, are preparing for a strike ballot of members early in the new year.

ALLIANCE FOR CHANGE ATTEMPT TO IGNORE MEMBERS’ VIEWS

At the NEC meeting on 19 November 2025, an attempt was made to re-open the debate on the national campaign by a Broad Left Network NEC member, despite the clear decisions overwhelmingly taken throughout the summer and autumn.

In an extraordinary contribution, a vocal opponent of the Left Unity leadership, sought to completely ignore the outcome of the consultation with members. Instead demanding that we effectively abandon the talks with the employer, “declare war on the Cabinet Office” and rally members to battle. This despite the clear view expressed by members in the consultation that such a confrontation should not take place at this stage.

Left Unity members on the NEC responded robustly, reminding our opponents that PCS were in serious talks with the Cabinet Office on better pay coherence and the eradication of low pay, and that to abandon those talks would be a “dereliction of duty”.  The General Secretary called for an end to this ultra-left posturing and student politics, and reminded our opponents that now was the time for hard-headed judgements based on industrial reality, going on to point out that if you are going to “declare war”, it is best to be organisationally ready for one, “otherwise you will get massacred”.  Our opponent’s position was bad enough, even without considering that members in their own group had just voted by a majority of 90%, on a 76% turnout, to accept the employers pay offer. It is incredible that someone elected to the most senior committee in our union, would call for war when they cannot win a battle in their own backyard.

The coalition (for chaos) continue to argue that it is better to enter a ballot ill-prepared and to fail to meet the 50% threshold, then to ballot and maybe fail again, than to wait for the outcome of talks and meet any negative outcome with a decision to agitate around.  Despite the massive financial cost to the union of every ballot we undertake (paid for by you!), it appears they see no issue with weakening PCS in the eyes of the employer.

A weak union can win nothing. Puerile strategies win nothing.

LEVY REFUND

At the NEC meeting on 19 November, Left Unity and the Democracy Alliance NEC members kept our promise to PCS members, by supporting a proposal to now test the process for effecting the refund of the levy. Left Unity and our PCS Democrat allies committed, during the NEC election campaign in 2025, to putting right the scandalous breach of members faith, created by the Coalition of the Broad Left Network and Independent Left; their having insisted on continuing to collect the levy last year when it was clear no national industrial action was planned.

In a continuation of their contempt for members, despite it being a clear manifesto commitment from the majority of elected NEC members, the Broad Left Network and Independent Left NEC members voted against the proposal for effecting the refund of the levy. Thankfully, they were defeated by the Democracy Alliance majority and the process to refund the levy was agreed and will now be implemented.

INFANTILISM FROM OUR OPPONENTS

Rather predictably, the NEC’s approach has attracted relentless criticism from our internal opponents. Particularly, the decision not to move to a ballot at this stage.

The Independent Left believes that we should have walked into talks with our demands backed by a live, active ballot mandate. This completely ignores the outcome of the consultation that indicates we are unlikely to win a live mandate at this stage.

If we were to follow the Independent Left’s advice, we would ballot, probably fail to secure a statutory mandate for action in many groups and would be left naked in the chamber. We will, therefore, not be taking any advice from them on tactics and leverage anytime soon.

The Broad Left Network holds a similar position, claiming that members are prepared to fight; and they point to ballots results from 2022/2023 as evidence.  This is completely ludicrous as they fails to acknowledge a very changed political and industrial context, and the outcome of the most recent consultation of members.  It would lead us to the same tactically disastrous place as the Independent Left’s position.

It is clear from where we are in negotiations, with serious progress possible, and the outcome of the consultation, that now is not the time for a ballot.  Unless, of course, you want to lose it, thereby conceding any leverage you hold in negotiations, and guaranteeing no progress for members.  No serious trade union leadership would adopt such an industrially suicidal approach, and Left Unity will continue to dismiss such disastrous strategies.

On entering delegated talks, the opponents of your Left Unity led leadership have bizarrely claimed this an “abdication of responsibility”.  The opposite is of course true.  The responsible decision taken to engage with departmental pay teams has ensured that we have put as much money, as quickly as possible, into members’ pockets; this was particularly important for our lowest paid members.

The alternative to entering talks would have been to hold a national ballot, that the consultation tells us we would have struggled to win; whilst leaving the field free for Prospect and the FDA to clean up in delegated talks. 

It is clear that some that claim to be activists, working on behalf of members, have learned no lessons from last years’ debacle, where a BLN/IL majority of NEC members voted not to enter delegated talks; that ‘leadership’ was forced to u-turn a week later under pressure from an activist base that understood all too well the consequences of that monumentally senseless decision.

This is simply not serious strategical decision making.  At best, it is student politics arguing with hardheaded industrial trade unionism; at worst, it is simply grandstanding for perceived political advantage, with PCS members’ interests playing second fiddle to political party interests. This level of ineptitude has no place in a serious trade union.

It is a sad fact that the rhetoric from these factions is completely divorced from where our membership is. This is clearly evidenced by the recent campaign mounted by the Broad Left Network urging members, against the GEC recommendation, to reject the pay offer in the Scottish Government Group.  In that Group, on a 76% turnout, members voted by a majority of 90% to accept the offer.  That is hardly a reflection of a faction with its finger on the pulse of the membership.

This continued infantile posturing should be rejected by our activists and members alike.

TIME FOR SERIOUS LEADERSHIP – WE ARE LISTENING TO YOU

For the first time in decades, there is the possibility of serious progress in talks on civil service pay, with a chance to eliminate poverty pay and secure greater pay coherence. We have to give those talks a chance.

The Democracy Alliance leadership will leave no stone unturned in our determination to secure that progress for you.  We listen to our members and activists when you advise on the mood on the ground; and we will not use our members and activists as pawns in a political game. 

Our job as a union leadership is to protect and promote members’ interests, first and foremost; that is what we intend to do.

But the commitment from Left Unity to you is that, if progress in those talks is insufficient or too slow, then we will not shy away from agitating our members to test our readiness for an industrial response; the LU leadership in DWP has shown our readiness to act by moving to the recent consultative ballot, and will show the employer, and this government again, when they move to a statutory ballot early in 2026.

Over the recent weeks it has seemed as if the eyes of the whole country have been set firmly on Caerphilly, and it felt like almost the entire left in Wales let out a huge sigh of relief last Friday morning at the news that Plaid Cymru’s Lyndsay Whittle has beaten Reform by 3000 votes, winning  by 11% of the vote. But how did we end up with such a divisive and racist election campaign?

Following the tragic passing of Labour Senedd Member Hefin David, it became very clear very quickly that this would be no ordinary by-election. With both the Welsh Senedd & Scottish Parliamentary elections less than a year away, what happened in Caerphilly was always going to be a test for our movement.

Reform have been boldly telling any media outlet that would listen for months that they expect to sweep the board in Wales’s Senedd elections next May, Farage stating he plans to turn Wales into a ‘Little USA’. They were confident of a victory, throwing substantial amounts money at the campaign.

Every right-wing influencer in the UK seems to have made an appearance in recent weeks, anti-migrant rhetoric ramping up daily, and many residents of the constituency expressing shock and disgust at the levels of rabid racist narrative.

The focus of Reform in Caerphilly has been to attack the Senedd ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ policy, a progressive policy from the current Welsh Labour led Senedd to support those fleeing persecution and war to rebuild their lives here in Wales. The overwhelming majority of the funding made available for this policy by the Senedd has been used to help the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees, however Reform UK took to the airwaves to push a narrative that Wales has ‘wasted £55 million on ‘illegal immigrants’.

This narrative has had the effect of creating a genuinely terrifying atmosphere that has emboldened the far right into a frenzy of activity.

It is worth noting that Caerphilly has amongst the lowest levels of immigration amongst any of the 22 local authorities in Wales, with 97% of the population being born in the UK.

There have been weekly protests called by fascist, Tommy Robinson supporting group, Voice of Wales, held outside a hotel near Cardiff airport. The hotel is temporarily housing families from Afghanistan who, having helped the British military, were put at risk by the leaking of their info by the Tories to the Taliban last year. These protests have drawn in the most abhorrent collection of neo-Nazi organisations in Britain, including Patriotic Alternative & the openly antisemitic group White Vanguard.

Other far right demo’s have been called in Newtown, Wrexham, Barry and on the weekend before the election, a demo against ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ in Caerphilly.

Stand Up to Racism and the Trade Unions have turned out in force week after week to oppose these attempts to intimidate and spread hate and the far right have been heavily outnumbered at every turn.

Indeed, over the last few weeks SuTR have not only organised various counter demo’s but have also been holding street stalls and knocking on doors across Caerphilly, ensuring that the lies spread by Reform and others did not go unchecked.

Left Unity Members on the PCS Wales Executive Committee have not only been involved in activity on the streets with SuTR, but initiated a letter sent directly to all PCS members within the constituency which laid out our policy positions of a progressive and inclusive economic alternative, whilst also exposing the myths being peddled by Reform that they are friends of the working class.

But other forces have been at play in Caerphilly, and to prevent a repeat of these last few weeks next May at the Senedd elections, we must also look at how after holding Caerphilly as a safe seat since 1918, the Labour Party’s support has tanked in such a spectacular way that they left the door wide open for Reform to breeze in.

Theres a saying in the South Wales Valleys ‘Mrs Jones’ sheep could win an election round here if someone slapped a red rosette on it’, but this is very plainly no longer the case.

Talking to people on stalls and on doorsteps it became very obvious that those who would never have considered they would vote for anyone other than Labour in their lifetime, feel that Labour have abandoned them; from cuts to winter fuel and benefit payments, the state of the NHS and lack of access to essential health care right through to concern about Labour in Westminster failing to condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza, voters did not feel that Labour was a party they can continue to trust and vote for.

Many looking for a new political home and alternative policies have been hoodwinked into believing that Reform is a party of the working class.  In a society where political leaders are failing to provide leadership, it is our role as trade unions to tackle this with facts, countering the lies peddled by Reform.

The fact that Reform were beaten by many voters switching to Plaid Cymru gives us hope. Those that voted for Plaid will be aware of their stance on Palestine, their support for Nation of Sanctuary and safe passage, and their economic policies on issues such as the introduction of a wealth tax. That is not to say that Plaid are perfect as there are many policies of theirs that PCS would disagree with, but in a world where what was once considered centre ground has tracked so far to the right, Plaid have provided a palatable alternative to Labour for many in Wales.

This should send a resounding message to Starmer and Labour; trying to out fascist the far right and declaring that Britain has become a “nation of strangers” doesn’t win votes – it pushers voters to the far right, and copying the policies of the Tories who inflicted 14 years of bitter austerity on working people will run the risk of opening the door even wider for Reform.

We in Left Unity are very clear – It’s not refugees arriving on boats who have made everyone poorer, destroyed our NHS, cut benefits and stagnated the economy, it’s those who swan around legally in their million pound yachts and those who perpetuate neo-liberal capitalist policies.

What we should all take from the last few weeks is that we need to up our game as Left Unity and PCS. Wherever the far right raise their heads we need to be on the streets at counter protests in numbers and get involved in our local SuTR groups. We need to be pushing out our Left Unity created policies around alternatives to austerity, Tax Justice, Welfare Reform, Safe Passage and of course our ARAF strategy. If the experience of Caerphilly is anything to go by, we are in for a tough few years as Farage, Reform and others ramp up their toxic politics. We as trade unionists and socialists have the policies and answers that can neutralise them, even if the main stream parties don’t, and we need to provide leadership to steer our class away from the divisive politics of despair.

We of course congratulate Lindsay Whittle and wish him the best of luck. He is a hard working politician with whom we look forward to working with in Wales, but we must also ready ourselves for the coming battles and be unflinching in our response to the racist rhetoric being used to divide our communities.

Marianne Owens

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On Saturday 20 September in Glasgow, I compered a rally in Buchanan Street, of anti-racist anti-fascist activists. This rally was organised by Stand Up To Racism, in response to a “Unity Rally” which had been organised by the far right. The main organiser of this rally, John Watt, had to step down following an expose by SUTR where it was revealed that he had been convicted of domestic violence against two ex-girlfriends.

The “Unity Rally” was just one anti-immigration protest in a long series of anti-immigration protests, which have been set up under the guise of protecting women and children from “illegal immigrants.”

SUTR and anti-racist activists have organised counter-demos where these are happening, mainly outside hotels which are being used as accommodation for asylum seekers, and while we have been outnumbering them, their numbers have grown significantly in the last year or so.

In London on 13 September, there were over 100,000 people marching to support Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson), who has since been deported from both Columbia and Panama as a threat to national security. Yaxley-Lennon has many previous convictions, including stalking and harassing a female journalist, assaulting a police officer who had intervened during an argument between him and his then partner, and illegally entering the USA with a fake passport. All things he supposedly stands against.

We were therefore worried that their numbers would be huge in Glasgow, but we outnumbered them by 3-1. We had a platform of mainly women speakers, where I launched the Women Against The Far Right Scotland campaign. SUTR have set this campaign up to build the wider anti-fascist front, to counter the lies that the far-right actually want to protect women and children, and to help give women the arguments and confidence to oppose the far-right. There is a national campaign also, which PCS has signed up to support.

PCS NEC member Cheral Govind also addressed the crowd as the chair of the STUC Black Workers Committee, and she spoke about how important visibility is within our trade unions as a British-born Asian woman, and how vital it is that the trade union movement is involved in tackling the far-right.

As the women were speaking, there were vile racist, lewd and misogynistic comments being shouted at us from the other side. At the front of our crowd we had formed a women’s solidarity wall, which was unfortunately met with lewd gestures and more of the racism and misogyny being shouting at us. Many of the people turning up for the “Unity Rally” claim to not be racist, and claim they want to protect women and children, but this was not the way to show that.

We know that there are genuine concerns, and that people are frustrated by the actions of the Labour government, especially after 14 years of Tory austerity, Labour have failed to deliver on what they were elected to do. Reform UK have used the anger, frustration, and fears of the general public to garner support and to spread hate. We know that we have to work within our workplaces and communities to challenge the lies of Reform UK and their supporters.

PCS continues to work alongside SUTR to challenge the racism and fascism which we have seen is on the rise in the UK. PCS will also continue to hold the government to account for their actions that have angered the many frustrated members of the public.

In Scotland and Wales next year there will be parliamentary elections, and there is a real danger of Reform UK gaining power. There are also real cracks in the UK government, which has led to speculation that there will be a general election before this term is out. If Reform UK was to win such a general election, Nigel Farage wants to shut down the civil service, tear up terms and conditions, including the ability to work from home, and make huge cuts to public services. The consequences for our members, and for the people who rely on our services, will be catastrophic.

Liz McGachey

The Democracy Alliance (DA) has once again secured a majority on the National Executive Committee (NEC), after a disastrous twelve months with the Coalition for Change at the helm. This result is not only a decisive rejection of the division and stagnation created by our opponents,  but the large majority gives the DA a clear mandate for Left Unity’s programme of fighting for members’ rights, pay, and conditions. This victory should give us a renewed confidence that members see the importance of a leadership committed to building workplace strength, defending public services, and standing firmly against government attacks. We thank all ADC delegates who played a part in delivering this victory and pledge to continue working with every activist to deliver real change for our members.

Fighting the Far Right and Defending Democracy

As the far right grows more visible and emboldened – in our communities, in workplaces, and across social media – PCS Left Unity remains committed to opposing fascism, racism, and all forms of discrimination. Our response in the months ahead, as we stand in solidarity with the anti-racist movement and reaffirm our union’s proud record of promoting equality and inclusion, is crucial.

We only have to see some of the comments posted on the union’s social media channels in recent weeks. It’s important we reaffirm our commitment to tackling racism and fascism, wherever it raises its head, at ADC this week, and reject the Labour Government’s alarming learch to the right.

Resisting Austerity and the PCS Levy

With the possible return of real-terms pay cuts, job threats, and attacks on the services our members deliver, the government’s austerity 2.0 agenda is hitting hard. PCS Left Unity supports the need to return to a national campaign, that unites members and activists around a set of coherent, common demands that all groups can get behind. The failed attempts by our opponents to unite groups around a disparate shopping list of demands, has been a disaster, and any industrial response needs full member engagement.

The temporary levy, voted in by previous Annual Delegate Conferences, and supported by members did its job at the time in paying for sustained targeted strike action, that hit the employer hard, and reduced the financial burden on members. However, Left Unity fully supported the campaign to suspend the levy from September last year, in light of the NEC decision not to pursue industrial action under the national campaign and falling membership due to its retention. We also back the DA candidates pledge to refund the levy payments from September to March.

Left Unity are also clear, however, that introducing temporary levies cannot be the long-term solution to sustaining the union’s ability to fight national campaigns. We remain committed to transparency, democratic accountability, and to reviewing a permanent solution with membership support. We urge delegates and branches to, therefore, reject attempts by BLN/IL supporters, and the outgoing and defeated NEC majority, to this week get conference to support the reinstatement of the levy, and oppose all motions calling for this in favour of the LU motions overleaf.

Time to Rebuild Our Union

After last ADC’s rejection of the national organising plan, for sectarian gain, and the impact of the levy, we have much ground to make up to rebuild both membership levels across our union and our members confidence in their union. Left Unity hope that this conference overwhelmingly supports the organising plan presented to it, and we can once again re-focus on workplace organisation, member-led strategy, and unity across our employer groups.

Join Us – Strengthen the Union’s Fighting Leadership

PCS Left Unity remains the leading democratic socialist organisation in the union. We call on all members who want to build a stronger, more democratic, and united union to get involved.

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Left Unity would like to thank everyone who voted for Democracy Alliance candidates in the NEC elections.

We are very pleased to see Martin Cavanagh re-elected as PCS President and to have a significant majority on the NEC for the year ahead.

After a year of the coalition of chaos holding a small majority and creating a state of paralysis in the NEC, we look forward to rebuilding the union.

While the turnout was once again disappointing, it was clear talking to members during the elections, that many were put off by the negativity and the venomous false narrative of the coalition, and it shows in their collapsed vote.

The proportion of the vote for the Democracy Alliance reflects the more positive campaign we ran, but now the hard work starts.

As promised during the elections, we will be repaying unused levy money to members.

We all face challenges ahead, so we will be consulting members as we build up our strength in the coming months.

We will be strengthened as a union if we return Left Unity majorities in the group elections to work with the NEC.

The group elections close at midday on Tuesday, so we urge all our supporters to continue to encourage members to vote for our candidates.

DWP Left Unity GEC candidates

HMRC GEC Left Unity candidates

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The NEC ballot closes this Friday 9th May. If you haven’t voted yet please get post it off today.

Election time is upon us, and the temperature of the PCS Broad Left Network (BLN) continues to rise to fever pitch, resulting in a total disorientation in their political positioning.

On 18 April 2025, the BLN published an article headlined: “Stop the rot: Vote Marion Lloyd for President in PCS”.  How this would help stop any rot is difficult to explain, given that Marion’s faction is the one that holds sway on the NEC, and any rot is therefore of their making.

The focus of their ire continues to be the General Secretary, Fran Heathcote, and the President, Martin Cavanagh. These two decent, principled, committed trade unionists have been subjected to relentless attacks all year by the BLN and their allies in the Coalition for Change.  The level of bile and vitriol that they have been subjected to for doing their jobs has been wholly unnecessary and completely unjustified.

This weird obsession has led the Coalition for Change into adopting a default approach – any proposal made by the General Secretary, no matter how simple or rational, must be opposed. This approach has already led to 4 highly embarrassing U-turns by the Coalition in respect of industrial policy during this year.  Such developments would be more than enough to give any self-aware trade unionist pause for thought.  Not so those in the Coalition for Change, who seem determined to pursue this approach to the end.

The BLN article provides commentary on the last full NEC meeting of the year. They take issue with the fact that “Six hours of the meeting time were wasted on one paper”.  The paper in question is the standard paper brought by the General Secretary every year containing attitudes to conference motions and proposed NEC speakers on them. This business would normally be completed in a couple of hours. Not on this occasion, with the Coalition deliberately dragging out the agenda item, changing both attitudes to motions and speakers in the most sectarian manner.

This pattern of behaviour continued throughout the meeting, as it has all year. The General Secretary gave a factual report on discussions with the Cabinet Office following the Spring Statement; said that she would bring an emergency motion to Conference for discussion to the May NEC; and stated that it was right that the our annual delegate conference, which is in fact our Members Parliament, should determine the way forward for the national campaign.  She asked the NEC to note the paper.

The ridiculous response from the BLN was to refuse to note the paper. Instead, they attempted to high-handedly force through their own “campaign plan”, despite the recent consultation with groups and branches indicating that there is no consensus at this stage on what the demands of any campaign would be; and despite there being virtually no detail on departmental intentions following the Spring Statement.

Perhaps the most bizarre consequence of their approach of opposing anything the General Secretary says or does is encapsulated in their position on quangos (or Arms’ Length Bodies). PCS has always rightly argued that the vast majority of such bodies should be under direct, democratic state control; that workers within them should be civil servants; and that there should be coherence of pay and terms & conditions on the best available terms.

The General Secretary noted that the government’s review of such bodies presented an opportunity for the union to argue for those long held positions.  The BLN argue that: “The attack on ALBs will certainly involve centralisation of function and job cuts; concrete steps to oppose should be prepared now.”

Such a position places the BLN to the political right of the government on this issue. Given the make-up of this government, that takes some doing. However, such are the consequences of adopting an approach to oppose anything that the General Secretary supports – her position on these matters is naturally to the left, so in scrambling to manufacture difference, the BLN have inevitably ended up on reactionary right-wing territory.

This is no way to run a serious trade union. There are both threats and opportunities lying ahead that require a PCS leadership capable of navigating them and capable of achieving real gains for members. The playground politics of the Coalition for Change will never deliver that.

Vote Democracy Alliance!

Democracy Alliance members (including LU) have pledged to refund six months of levy payments to all members who we believe had this money deducted from them by decisions of the existing NEC majority in bad faith during this period of time. 

What does this mean in practice for PCS members?

What is the PCS levy?

The levy was first introduced following consultation with all members and endorsed in a ballot in autumn 2022 to provide financial support to members taking periods of paid targeted action specific to the National Campaign.

The LU/Democracy Alliance used this money effectively to help deliver an improved pay remit in 2023 on the back of the action that PCS members took.

Following this period of action members were again consulted in summer 2023 and agreed to pause the levy whilst there was a pause in paid targeted action under the national campaign; the levy was reinstated in May 2024 when members again endorsed this in a consultative ballot and in a reballot for further action.

LU/DA NEC have consulted members over decisions relating to the levy at every stage.

What happened regarding further action under the National Campaign?

Unfortunately our largest employer groups, although delivering yes votes for action, didn’t manage to achieve a 50% membership turnout required to take further action at that stage. A numb er of smaller PCS Employer groups did achieve a legal mandate for action.

PCS ADC 2024 carried a motion put forward by supporters of the current NEC majority to  change the demands of the existing trade dispute and added a variety of new ones to take the campaign forward. This effectively ended the existing national campaign and created the basis of a new one.   

A new NEC majority took up office following ADC. LU/DA members remained on the NEC but didn’t have a voting majority.

Proposals for taking the campaign forward were presented to two Senior Lay Reps Forums in July and were not supported by the majority of those reps in attendance.

Following the General Election the new government swiftly moved to announce a 5% pay remit for Civil Service and related bodies and also settled outstanding pay disputes with Train Drivers and Junior Doctors so that  there were no  other areas still in dispute and looking to take action.

Proposals to pause the levy

By the time of the August NEC it had become clear that any action that could legally be taken under the existing mandate, and that was be able to deliver the action necessary to increase the pay remit, would be extremely unlikely, given the relatively small number of members involved.  In addition,  there were no requests from the larger PCS Groups to reballot their members at this time over this issue.

It was therefore clear that no further industrial action would be taken during the course of the existing mandate which would expire in November.     

For this reason  the General Secretary proposed pausing the levy payments for members and consulting them on a way forward.  This proposal was supported by DA NEC members but voted down by the NEC majority.

The GS then made the same proposal at the December NEC after all mandates for legal action had expired but the DA NEC members were again outvoted by the NEC Majority.

By the time of the January NEC some members of the NEC majority had changed their minds, in light of increasing criticism from members, with one of their number opportunistically raising an illegitimate Point of Order about taking a “vote on pausing the levy”, ahead of the “elections”, knowing full well that decision couldn’t be reviewed for another two months under the NEC Standing Orders.

As the debate unfolded the National President, a member of the Democracy Alliance and strong advocate of the pause,  tested if the NEC wase prepared to revisit its decision, a proposal which would require a two-thirds majority. This led to a majority of the NEC now voting in favour of pausing the levy with effect from the end of February, with the Coalition for Change splitting on the issue.

Left Unity had consistently campaigned for this outcome in the months before. The period of time from the point where the NEC could have paused the levy was from September-February (six months)

Does pausing the levy mean we can’t fund any paid industrial action?

No.

Members endorsed the use of the levy specifically for action taken under the national campaign. For this reason it can’t be used for any other purpose.

PCS also has a general Fighting Fund. Members directly contribute 50p of their monthly subscriptions into this fund. Anyone can also make additional voluntary donations through monthly standing orders or individual donations.  Action in respect of the national campaign can, and has previously, been funded from the Fighting Fund.   We also have significant reserves.

Although we support consulting members on ways in which we can further build up this fund it has continued to be used to support paid targeted action in G4S, defending sacked reps in HMRC, and current disputes over office working for example.

Could a voluntary levy be considered?

Although some members and branches support this approach we don’t believe it would raise enough money to fund the level of action we would need to take.

It also simply replicates the already existing General FF into which members can already make additional voluntary contributions.

A voluntary levy or an opt out clause would also be problematic when you came to supporting various groups of members taking paid action together. It could be very divisive if some members were benefitting from this whilst not making a specific financial contribution towards the cost.  

Why refunding the levy is necessary at this time

Continuing to take money from members in the knowledge that it would not be used for its intended purpose was wrong. Hundreds of members have resigned citing cost or the levy as a reason for doing so. The NEC majority has breached faith with members or reps trying to build up membership in their branches. If elected  LU/DA candidates will right that wrong by refunding the levy for the six month period in which it should have been paused. 

Members need to be consulted on the big decisions which affect them. We are not in principle opposed to the use of levies in specific circumstances subject to membership agreement, but the trust and confidence amongst members about how their money is used must be rebuilt and maintained for the future.

Only LU/DA candidates are giving members this commitment during this election campaign. Use your vote wisely. 

It’s election time in PCS and you always expect a bit of healthy debate on social media.

This has got worse in recent years and yesterday, Socialist Party presidential hopeful, Marion Lloyd, who has failed in every attempt to become general secretary and then president since breaking from Left Unity, made a rather unfortunate video where she carefully read from a script all of her criticisms of current president, Martin Cavanagh, and general secretary, Fran Heathcote, in an attempt to discredit the Democracy Alliance. Inadvertently, demonstrating, as a senior manager, how out of touch she is with ordinary low paid members, by dismissing the overpayment of the levy that members were forced to cough up, under her coalition of chaos, who refused to pause it, as only £35, and ‘just a meal at Nando’s’. Democracy Alliance candidates have pledged to right the wrong and refund the levy from the point it should have been paused, and whilst it might only be £35 to her, or ‘a meal at Nando’s’, that is a lot of money to the members we represent. These characters cannot be trusted with your money.

Astonishingly, she accuses Martin of ‘bribery’ and ‘frittering away money’. Astonishingly, because yesterday Marion and her allies, offered up, without consultation or discussion with anyone, £200,000 of PCS members’ money as a solidarity donation to the American Federation of Government Employees, whose President had been invited to address the NEC. The coalition’s NEC vice president later wrote to confirm he wants that money paid, and it must be a minimum of £200,000.

PCS Members’ Money – What’s at stake?

Having offered up the biggest donation in the history of PCS, the Socialist Party/ Independent Left Alliance also voted at the NEC to support every motion on the National Conference agenda that called for an immediate reinstatement of the levy, without consultation, and rejected every motion that called for consultation with reps and members about how to build a sustainable fighting fund.

These are the politics of madness, ignoring the wishes of members whilst trying to drive through policies, not in the best interest of members, but in support of their political masters.

But the Independent Left, in particular have an obsession with money, your money.

In the last few days, they have published on their website a complete work of fiction regarding the general secretary’s salary. Fran isn’t up for re-election but has faced this misogyny all year, presumably they are working on the basis that if you throw enough mud, some will stick, and that the Democracy Alliance will be tarnished by association.

Their article covers a £12k payrise they claim the GS awarded herself – she didn’t, claims she earns a 6 figure salary – she doesn’t, and the supposed impact of the PCS staffing restructure.

It is based on a huge misunderstanding of the PCS Financial report for 2025, which might be amusing until you remember that these individuals now dominate the NEC Finance Committee and include the National Treasurer in their number. They nodded through a paper at the NEC this week, presented by the National Treasurer, which demonstrates that everything they have alleged about the levy all year has been incorrect, another misunderstanding. The new Finance Committee were even invited to a special meeting, to help them better understand the financial report, but presumably it didn’t help them.

The Facts

In relation to the General Secretary’s salary:

• The salary increase that the article uses for the GS is for 2024-5. The salary increase for the GS (and for all PCS staff) for 2024/5 was 4.99%.
• The average increase for PCS members over the same period was also 4.99%.
• The salary increases for PCS staff, including the General Secretary, is based on a pay basket formula that ties PCS staff pay increases to those achieved by PCS members.
• For the 2024 pay round PCS analysed over 160 pay settlements across the civil service (including DWP, HMRC, MoJ, Home Office) covering over 85% of our members. This demonstrated that the average pay increase achieved by PCS members was 4.99% and the same award was given to all PCS staff.
• The pay award for PCS staff is consolidated but only 1% pensionable (unlike the award for our members).

The IL appear to have arrived at the figure of 13.3% by inaccurately moving the bottom of the GS spine point from 11 to 8. This has presumably happened because they have misunderstood the colour coding on the annual report.

Had they read the paper properly, they would have spotted that the GS/AGS spine still runs from 11-1.

The 13.3% figure reported is factually inaccurate. The GS pay increase was 4.99%.

The 2025 pay round has not started in PCS – contrary to the claim made in the article – and will not do so until PCS has the necessary data from the 2025 civil service pay remit and actual settlements. Once PCS has this, negotiations will take place with our staff union, the GMB, but any increases for 2025 will be in line with the pay basket formula and our long-standing position that the pay award to PCS staff tracks those that are achieved for members.

Again, contrary to the claim made in the article there was and is no relationship whatsoever between the GS salary and pay award, and the staffing review.

What the 2025 Financial Report does show, and what the IL/ BLN are keen to detract from, having tried to discredit Fran all year, is that the staffing review is already paying dividends in respect of the organisation within PCS: 

• The staffing review carried out by the incoming General Secretary is completely within her gift, covered by her contractual rights, and in line with what many new general secretaries have done on taking up office.
• We now have the lowest staff cost to membership income ratio we have had in years, following the review. As the AGS explained to conference in 2024, our union has one of the lowest ratios in the trade union movement, and we aim to remain at approximately 33% (this will always fluctuate as staff join or leave), at that time our staff ratio was 34.5%. Now it is 32.9%, busting the myth that the staffing restructure blew the budget and massively increased the higher grades.
• Fran has worked meticulously to ensure we remain at approximately 33% and will continue to do so.
• Every post within the structure was filled by fair and open competition and in line with previous recruitment policies in full consultation with the staff union, GMB.

We are the first union in the TUC to completely eradicate the gender pay gap since the review.

This should all be a good news story for PCS and something to be proud of, but instead it is dismissed and lied about, by those driven by hatred.

These are the facts – don’t believe the nonsense. 

The PCS NEC elections have started. You will soon receive your postal ballot paper. If you want a union that works for you, not the Socialist Party, or the Alliance For Workers’ Liberty, listens to you and consults you over issues such as the levy, and works in the best interest of members. VOTE FOR DEMOCRACY ALLIANCE candidates.

Do not ignore your ballot paper or these elections. Please use your vote. Together, we can end the insanity that is threatening our union.

Reclaim PCS! Vote DEMOCRACY ALLIANCE!

Click here for Democracy Alliance election literature -> https://pcsleftunity.org/elections-2025/

2025 PCS NEC Elections

Democracy Alliance – Our Promise to You

If elected, we will refund the levy

The Democracy Alliance have been consistent in our view on the levy. Members having agreed that paying an extra £3 or £5 a month was a price worth paying to fund targeted action under the national campaign, to maximise the pressure on our employers and minimise the financial burden on you. The levy to be used only for the national campaign – the general fighting fund to be used for all other disputes.

In August 2024, the NEC agreed that there was no leverage for action in pursuit of the national campaign.  The General Secretary, Fran Heathcote therefore recommended to the NEC, that the levy be paused.

In accordance with the agreement at its implementation, Democracy Alliance candidates supported the call to pause the levy. The pause was rejected by the “Alliance for Change” majority on the NEC, who also denied members a vote on the issue.

This is a scandalous breach of faith with members. 

The Alliance for Change repeatedly voted to continue the levy until, on the eve of this NEC election, some reversed their position – a cynical move for electoral advantage.

If elected, Democracy Alliance candidates will put right that wrong.  

We will refund the levy contributions paid by members since September 2024. Money that in our view should never have been taken from you.

Building a sustainable fighting fund

We will begin a consultation on how to build a sustainable fighting fund for the future.

The Democracy Alliance took the right decisions at the right time to steer the union through years of financial difficulties. We restored the union’s finances to a healthy position. 

We are therefore confident that, even without the now paused levy, there is enough money available to fight a national campaign, including funding targeted industrial action, should it prove necessary.  We have built a substantial war chest and reserves that we can call upon.

We will look to build on that but only following a full consultation with members. Unlike our opponents the Democracy Alliance will not impose our view upon you.  No decision will be taken about you, without you. You are at the heart of the union’s decision making processes

Bargaining for you – pay restoration, job security and flexible working

The election of a Labour Government presents opportunities for PCS to make real progress on the issues that matter to members. We will hold them accountable to their commitments to “Make Work Pay”.

Our priorities will be to negotiate:

● an agreement on pay which restores members living standards to a decent level, tackling the scourge of low pay once and for all; 

● a job security agreement that gives members a no compulsory redundancy guarantee and greater access to hybrid working arrangements.

These priorities are all the more important in light of Labour’s recent announcements of a cut of 15% to civil service administrative budgets. We will hold this government to account, as we did the Tories, ensuring that Labour’s electoral commitment to “rewiring the state to meet the needs of the people” includes meeting the needs of the workforce that deliver that change. 

Help us oppose attacks on benefits and the Civil Service

The recent announcements from the government about cuts to disability benefits, alongside cuts to the Civil Service, will be disastrous for the economy and some of our most vulnerable citizens.

If elected Democracy Alliance candidates will lead the opposition to the threats to vital public services. Unlike our opponents, we understand that an effective opposition must have the full buy-in of PCS members. Our strategy of opposition will be built on engaging with you and increasing our membership levels across every employer group.

Reject Divisive Politics

Our opponents in this election are operating under the guise of the “Alliance for Change”, this must be exposed for what it is – a coalition of two external political parties: the Socialist Party, and the Alliance for Workers Liberty.

Both parties are attempting to use PCS as a platform for their own organisations, in the process causing unnecessary division and rancour amongst our activists. For them, it is Party first, PCS members second.

We urge members to reject their politics of division, and to vote for Democracy Alliance candidates for your NEC.

President – Martin Cavanagh

Vice Presidents – Hannah David, Jackie Green, Marianne Owens, Mohammed Shafiq

NEC – Karen Alderson, Mark Baker, Paula Brown, Saul Cahill, Bridget Corcoran, James Cox, Chris Dando, Cathy Darcan, Sean Dwyer, Felicity Flynn, Ginnette Gantschuk, Cheral Govind, Angela Grant, Austin Harney, Ros Hewitt, John Jamieson, Steph Landeryou, Ian Lawther, Marie McDonough, Liz McGachey, James Marshall, Alistair Maxwell, Lorna Merry, Sarah Morton, Cara Nurse, Ian Pope, Jo Pritchard, Jeni Reid, Steve Thorley, Zac Vallely  

Click here to download as a printable leaflet -> https://pcsleftunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1-national-leaflet.pdf

Click here to download as a picture -> https://pcsleftunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/national-leaflet.jpg

Click here for more Democracy Alliance election material -> https://pcsleftunity.org/elections-2025/