On 5th February I attended the Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) & TUC Trade Union Conference: Fighting For Anti-Racist Workplaces, as a delegate for the NEC. Our delegation also included Bridget Corcoran, Sarah Ensor and Paul Williams, however the conference was open to all activists. The conference was building for the UN Anti-Racism Day actions which will take place in London and Glasgow on 19th March, and in Cardiff on 20th March.
Continue readingTo ALL LEFT UNITY ACTIVISTS
The consultative ballot begins on 14th February, that gives us less than a fortnight to get organised.
Whatever your political persuasion, hopefully we can all agree that beating the 50% threshold makes PCS stronger in all of our negotiations and campaign activity. Don’t fall for the defeatism of those who want to see PCS fail. We urge all reps to do everything possible to engage members in this campaign. Let’s work together to make PCS stronger.
In the next week or so, every region and nation will hold a reps’ briefing to launch the campaign where a PCS speaker will speak alongside and activist from another trade union, doing all we can to coordinate our campaign activity. We are urging everyone to attend.
Below is a timeline which should help with your planning.
No more tired slogans, Let’s see some real action.
Pay, pensions and the cost of living crisis are the main issues for the PCS National Campaign. In December our Left Unity led NEC agreed to move to a consultative ballot and activists are now full steam ahead with making plans for its success.
Out of necessity, PCS rightly prioritised safety over the last two years, and the results of this are clear, from the concessions gained in DVLA where the branch has been transformed, following the dispute and campaign activity over the last 18 months, with the branch leadership continuing to take the fight to the employer on behalf of its members, to departments where PCS has successfully negotiated safe homeworking and the world of work has changed forever.
Continue readingOn the 5th of January reps in DWP branches may have received a message sent from Craig Worswick, as the Secretary of Greater Manchester branch, calling a reps meeting on 19th January via Zoom. Whilst branches have no mandate to call meetings of other branches, which was pointed out to him by PCS officers, a decision has been made to proceed with the meeting.
Continue readingLeft Unity Chair, Lorna Merry, welcomed delegates to the second online Conference, with many important issues of policy to address, under the broad headings of Coronavirus, National Campaign, Equality and Other motions. The conference was well-attended, with lots of contributions and interventions, and the mood was positive and determined.
Continue readingSince the arrival of the Omicron Covid variant we have experience the horrific deja vu of the DWP response to the crisis. At every turn in the last two years the department has been behind the curve, only responding to the danger after the event. We have been witnessing the same with Omicron. This is no surprise of course when their masters in Parliament treat the safety of the public with disdain.
Continue readingPCS offer you solidarity and support for this important action.
We wholeheartedly back your action and your campaign. It is clear that UCU members rights to fair working terms and conditions are being treated with disdain – scapegoated in the rabid push for marketisation of education. Casual contracts, insecure work, have been used for too long in education and are not compatible with the security and dignity in work that is deserved. Pay cuts, pensions, inequality and increased work pressure – doesn’t create an arena where ideas can flourish.
Continue readingWe are proud to publish the following article by James Cox, President Home Office group (personal capacity) and Left Unity member.
The continued refugee crisis involving small boats crossing the channel has been ongoing for several years now but has recently received much more scrutiny. PCS members working in the Home Office have been at the front line of this. Members have been deeply affected by the amount and intensity of the work and traumatised by the things they have seen.
Continue readingHundreds of thousands of people joined marches on November 6th called in response to the COP26 conference in Glasgow.
Reports include 100,000 in Glasgow, 20,000 in London and several thousand in all the major cities.
This is a massive step forward in the movement to force our government to take real action to halt climate change. Across the demonstrations there was a recognition that Boris Johnson’s government is more interested in Greenwashing the market and profits than they are in saving the planet.
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PCS Left Unity 