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.

click here to download the conference newsletter

click here to download the meeting leaflet

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/

Democracy Alliance NEC election launch rally

Tuesday 15th April, 6.30 to 7.30pm

Chair Lorna Merry
Speakers
Martin Cavanagh, PCS president
Angela Grant, DWP president
Marianne Owens, HMRC president candidate
James Cox, Home Office president
Jackie Green, PCS vice president

Meeting details
Zoom meeting 85071007014
Click https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85071007014

50 people met in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, last week to plan a campaign to prevent the Reform Party from making a breakthrough in the local council elections. Hucknall is next door to Reform MP Lee Anderson’s Ashfield constituency so beating them here is very important.

PCS representatives were involved from the outset in helping set up a Stand Up To Racism meeting which was aimed at getting local anti racists, trade unionists and labour movement activists together. Speakers included PCS regional secretary Dani Jackson and NEU NEC member Louise Regan. The audience included trade unionists, Labour Party, ex Labour activists and crucially ex miners, as this was a mining town.

Speakers talked about the need both to confront the racism of the Reform Party, but also to recognise that many people have voted for them out of frustration, and what is crucial is to find out what the concerns people have are and to address them. Many people are concerned about housing, unemployment, the cost of living etc and these are issues that are not caused by immigration or refugees. Also we have to point out the anti working class reality of Reform, only last week their MPs voted against the Employment Rights bill.

The meeting committed to campaigning in the area on the streets and in the workplaces to turn the tide on Reform. Meetings and campaigns like this are going on up and down the country and Left Unity would encourage every PCS member to get involved.

In Birmingham on 28th March PCS is supporting a protest against a Reform rally in the city.

The PCS anti racist anti fascist strategy can be found here https://www.mypcs.pcs.org.uk/s/article/Download-the-PCS-Anti-racist-and-anti-fascist-strategy

And there is a useful factsheet exposing the reality of Reform here https://www.standuptoracism.org.uk/wp-content2015/uploads/2025/02/SUtR-Reform-UK-factsheet-A4-2pp-3mm-bld-_QR_updated.pdf

Pete Jackson Midlands regional chair (pc)

PCS NEC election season is once again upon us, and with it comes the usual sudden upturn in activity from the Socialist Party, led by its chief PCS mouthpiece and perennial election candidate, Marion Lloyd.

There are few things in life that Marion enjoys more than the sound of her own voice, so it is no surprise that she is now publicly calling for another meeting so she can further indulge her favourite pastime.

In order to justify her call, she points to a press article this week in The Guardian, which highlighted plans by a right-wing Labour think tank to take a “chainsaw” to the civil service.

That approach has already been comprehensively dismissed by the government.  They described it as a “juvenile characterisation” of their plans for the civil service.

Not that this has deterred Marion. She has again today reiterated her call, claiming that the General Secretary and the National President are “asleep at the wheel”; and claiming that the government has “cut NHS England by 50%”.

It is Marion who appears to be asleep. The government has today in fact announced that NHS England will be abolished, not cut; and that the health service will be brought back into democratic control.

PCS has long argued for a more coherent public service delivery model, with an active state that mobilises to improve the lives of the public.  We do not believe that quangos are the best way to achieve this and we welcome moves to bring arm’s-length bodies back under direct state control.

Furthermore, in NHS England, PCS has a membership density of around 1.14%.  Our negotiators have matters in hand and are in talks with the employer to ensure that the interests of those members are protected during any transfer process into the Department for Health and Social Care. 

It is therefore unclear why this development necessitates an emergency NEC meeting, particularly in light of discussions that have taken place at ministerial level on rewiring the civil service, reported on yesterday by the General Secretary here; and in light of the statement issued by the General Secretary today in response to the Prime Minister’s announcements which can be found here

Unclear that it is, until you realise that it is election season, and Marion needs some strawmen to knock down, probably to deflect from 12 months of achieving nothing other than continuing to unnecessarily soak members for a levy. 

PCS activists and members should not be fooled by this ridiculous posturing.