A fantastic show of strength

Wednesday 15th March was fantastic! Full of enthusiasm, optimism and hope. That feeling that you’re part of something much bigger.

PCS members and reps filled picket lines in record numbers. Feedback from reps and branches was at least as many, if not more, out than last time. Many young workers striking for the first time, getting a feel for what it’s all about.

I visited seven or eight London picket lines during the morning, joined by General Secretary, Mark Serwotka and chair of the PCS Parliamentary group, Chris Stephens. Our picket lines were loud, they were determined. Full of flags, placards and the new, red PCS beanies.

We marched from Embankment to Downing Street, the chants and cheers ringing in our ears, especially as we marched past Westminster, knowing that MPs were inside those walls, taking decisions about the budget and where taxpayers’ money would be spent, and not spent, in the midst of the cost of living crisis.

Our own PCS rally, outside Downing Street was big and loud. As I stood up to speak, all you could see were yellow flags, red beanies and at the back, or front, depending on your perspective, the massive PCS balloon.

The highlight for me was our 4 young strikers, who got up to describe their experiences of leading and organising action, some for the first time. We had powerful solidarity speeches from president of the RMT, Alex Gordon, and Kim Johnson, MP for Liverpool Riverside, alongside our own Mark Serwotka.

Then, with heads held high, led by the impressive PCS Samba Band, we marched into Trafalgar Square, to join thousands of strikers and supporters from other unions.

At this rally, hosted by the NEU, both Mark and I addressed the huge crowd that had gathered, alongside speakers from other unions striking and others, all calling for unity and solidarity.

That overwhelming message of solidarity is what was best about 15th March, giving us all a lift and making clear we would stand together and stand up to this government.

Targeted Action ramping up

It is clear that the strategy adopted is giving us unprecedented leverage. Sustained targeted action, alongside all-member action, that massive show of strength, when it can have the most impact. Maximising pressure on government and employers, minimising the financial impact on members during the cost of living crisis.

The National Disputes Committee continues to authorise submissions from many different groups and work areas, making the campaign impossible to ignore.

Just this week, we have announced that over 1000 Passport Office members from all across the UK will walk out for 5 weeks, causing possibly the most significant disruption yet.

Also taking action will be National Highways staff, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency members, including driving examiners and test centre staff, the British Library and the British Museum.

Many more areas are now making submissions for further areas to target action. Alongside all-member action, and the show of strength that demonstrates, this really is a strategy designed to have the biggest impact, becoming more and more difficult to ignore.

Now to win the reballot

The NEC meets on Monday to take stock and agree next steps, but it’s clear we are now in the strongest position that we have been in for decades.To maintain that position of strength though, we have a very important task ahead of us.

Our current mandate runs out on 7th May. We are now running our renewal ballot from 20th March to 9th May. It is crucial that, in order to maintain that pressure and leverage on the government to get around the table and talk to us, we beat the threshold in the reballot resoundingly.

The areas that have recently joined the action, such as HMRC, will not be part of the reballot, as they now have their mandate. For the rest of us that are though, we must strain every sinew to make sure that we don’t let government off the hook.

If they thought that they could sit out our mandate until it ended, they would do. In order to put pressure on them to get into talks that we are seeing elsewhere in the movement, we must send the clearest message via this renewal ballot that we are not going away, and that the way to resolve the dispute is to talk to us and put money on the table.

This will be a massive collective effort. Working together we can do this. It requires good levels of organising and membership engagement. We have learnt so much from what we have done so far, it is well within our gift to, not just beat the threshold this time around, but to smash it.

It would be a mistake to believe though, that this will just happen. It will take effort and hard work, reaching out to our members and giving them confidence in the strategy, the campaign and the strength of our position.

Nobody said that this would be a quick dispute, that it would be resolved immediately. What we do in the next 6 weeks will determine the success of our campaign. We really are on the cusp of something significant, but it requires us to hold our nerve, not be distracted by those that would seek to divert us, and work together to deliver the strongest renewal ballot result that we can, and we will do that best by working together.

Good luck with your efforts in your branch and please contact any of us within Left Unity if you need help or support.

Fran Heathcote

Fran is re-standing for PCS national president as part of the Democratic Alliance. The full Democratic Alliance slate can be found here – https://pcsleftunity.org/democracy-alliance-nec-nominees-2023/

Keep up to date with news and opinion from PCS Left Unity. Sign up to our WhatsApp notification channel here https://chat.whatsapp.com/JTXI9Wk3cNGGuUKTFRRd2B

Angela is standing for re-election to the NEC as part of the Democracy Alliance slate.

Click here to see the whole slate -> https://pcsleftunity.org/democracy-alliance-nec-nominees-2023/

Marianne is standing for re-election to the NEC as part of the Democracy Alliance. Click here for the Democracy Alliance slate -> https://pcsleftunity.org/democracy-alliance-nec-nominees-2023/

Left Unity members in HMRC Wales branch worked incredibly hard in the run up to the 15th March strike, leafletting, talking to members one on one, contacting all members via their personal email. 

In the weeks before the day we contacted other employer groups within the Cardiff Hub and held several strike organising meetings. Two days before the strike we held an all members meeting via zoom which was really well attended. 

All that hard work really paid off on the day itself. 

By 7am we already had a strong vibrant picket line of around 10 pickets which just kept growing. Faces old and new, reps, advocates and ordinary members arrived throughout the morning. We were joined by PCS reps from the Valuation Office and Prospect reps from HSE, by 8.30 the picket itself was 40 strong. And more people kept coming! 

For many of those present it was their first experience of industrial action, but any trepidation anyone had quickly disappeared as the mood was one of solidarity despite the cold with many  members of the public stopping to express their support. 

From 11.30 trade unionists from across Cardiff began to arrive for the rally that took place outside the Cardiff Government Hub. The sight of PCS members with flags, hats and banners from Welsh Government, DWP, Home Office and National Museum of Wales (among others) pouring into the square was magnificent and followed by striking UCU members who marched across the city behind their banner to join us for speeches and chanting. 

All in all a fantastic day, the mood was one of determination and anger at the Tories over pay and the cost of living but also anger at the way that this government is attacking refugees and trying to use their racist rhetoric to divide us. When our movement works together we are strong and that was very evident on the streets of Cardiff on Budget Day. 

Marianne Owens

Marianne is standing for re-election to the NEC as part of the Democracy Alliance. Click here to see the Democracy Alliance slate

PCS strikers from around Birmingham gathered after our pickets for a march and strike rally on Wednesday.

Birmingham Town Committee had met the previous week to consider what we should do after the pickets were over for the day. We were in contact with the Trades Council and UCU activists and agreed to call a strike rally beside the Birmingham City University campus.

Most of the civil service offices in the city centre are nearer to the 3AC hub building, so we decided to call on strikers to gather in Centenary Square and then march to the strike rally. I was nervous as the assembly time loomed as we didn’t know how many members would attend.

At 11am close to 100 striking members had assembled, clad in hi-vis, PCS beanies and flags. With the megaphone booming we marched through the shopping streets to the strike rally. I spoke about the reality of low pay in the civil service, the fact that the prime minister has a private swimming pool with a heating cost of over £14,000 per year, the equivalent of half my pay, and the need to take the fight to the Tories. Claudine, another PCS member, spoke about the first day of strike action in the HMRC. The rally was also addressed by UCU strikers, a striking teacher and students.

One thing we learnt from the 1st February strike rally was that members would turn up who we didn’t know. So this time we were better prepared and now have a far better network of activists to work with when the next all member strike is called.

Pete Jackson

Pete Jackson is standing for election to the NEC as part of the Democracy Alliance. Click here to see the full candidate list.

NEC members, Ian Lawther and Paul Williams were among the first to arrive for the picket line at Unity Square, Nottingham, closely followed by Reps and members from HMRC, the DVSA, DfT, DfE, Legal Aid Agency (LAA), and the Valuation Office Agency (VOA)

The picket was staged from 06:30 until 10:30 when several pickets left to join the NUJ picket at the BBC, in solidarity with journalists taking strike action from 11:00 today.

At it’s peak, there were over 60 PCS pickets and supporters on the line at Unity Square, where we were joined by two Reps from the Prospect union in the VOA. Hot sausage and bacon cobs were cooked on  site to keep the pickets happy and fed and appropriate music was played throughout.

The picket was visited by a local journalist from the West Bridgford Wire. Their article can be found here: https://westbridgfordwire.com/picket-line-at-hmrc-nottingham-as-civil-servants-take-strike-action/

From 12:00 noon, until late, a Picket and supporters social at the Canalhouse public house in Nottingham, with food, quizzes and a raffle. Over £200 was raised from the raffle which will be paid into the PCS hardship fund.

Ian Lawther and Paul Williams are standing for re-election to the NEC as part of the Democracy Alliance. Click here for to see the Democracy Alliance slate

Members in HMRC group have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action. With a turnout of just over 58% and over 80% voting to strike, this is a tremendous ballot result and sends a strong message to the Government that members are angry and that enough is enough.

All reps, members and activists should be proud of the effort that they have put into winning the ballot. It is clear that thousands are up for joining the budget day strike on 15^th March as well as future action.

Membership in the group has seen a significant increase during the ballot and even on the afternoon of the result being announced we have seen a flurry of new joiners wanting to get stuck in.

None of this would have been possible without the clear strategy to win that has been set out and implemented by the current Left Unity led GEC.

While our opponents have engaged in naysaying and miserablism from the sidelines, shouting that we will never get over the Tory anti-union ballot threshold and saying that members would leave the union in their hundreds if not thousands in protest at the strike levy, Left Unity members have held firm and got on with engaging thousands of our members and carrying out a strategy to win.

We as Left Unity members in HMRC stand on our long record of achieving the best we can for members, not just talking a good fight, but actually fighting.

We ask all members and branches in HMRC to now get behind the campaign but also to ensure we can continue to win for our members.

Please support Left Unity candidates in the upcoming Group elections and back a strategy that can win!!

Click on the image below to download the interactive flyer.

200 anti-racists gathered outside a hotel in Nottingham today where refugees are housed. We gathered in response to a threat from racist groups to protest against the refugees.

Anti racist campaigners were horrified at the targeting of people who have often fled war and managed to reach Britain despite the Tory government’s racist refusal to provide a safe route into the country.

The involvement of the PCS in stopping the government’s attempt to turn refugees back in the channel was welcomed, as was our work in opposing the Rwanda policy.

PCS members should be proud of our role in the anti racist movement and continue to mobilise for anti racist protests including the TUC / Stand Up To Racism national demonstrations on March 18th.

Pete Jackson, Midlands PCS regional chair

Click on the image to download the flyer. The downloaded flyer is interactive, the images are links to candidate information.