For PCS NEC

I am John Jamieson, current NEC member, Branch Secretary Registers of Scotland – responsible for Pay, Jobs and Terms & Conditions of Employment. Chair of the Scottish Sector (bargaining for all devolved Scottish Government civil servants in PCS), Vice-Chair of the Scotland Committee with, this year, 40 years experience as a Civil Service union activist. I am a Socialist, member of Left Unity, member of the Scottish Socialist Party and also a Democracy Alliance candidate.

PCS is pushing back! Novembers historic ballot for strike action, where members were convinced of this NEC’s targeted, effective and sustained strikes, supported by more strategic all member action has been a huge success.

This Government almost crashed the economy, dodge tax, allegations of bullying and harassment, have racist immigration policies and tactics like “Pushback”, which would have literally killed vulnerable and exploited asylum seekers and refugees in overcrowded boats crossing the channel – had PCS not successfully challenged that in the courts! We have £14.9 Billion pounds in wasted PPE monies lining the pockets of the Governments friends, whilst the current cost of living crisis is underpinned by a massive transfer of wealth from the poorest to the richest. We are in this cost of living crisis because of the political choices of the Westminster Government. Germany who got 50% of their gas from Russia, their energy prices went up 25%. Britain who got 4% of their gas from Russia have around a 200% increase in energy prices.

The Government have broken the UK fiscal model, where the Bank of England putting up interest rates to bring inflation down, means the millions now using credit cards for food and energy – will be driven into more debt and desperation. We have oversubscribed food banks, malnutrition in communities, with 40,000 of our members forced to use food banks.

The Government are not settling disputes with Health workers, with the Rail or Communication workers (both who have taken over 20 days of all member national action since their disputes started) or Fire Fighters. This will be a long campaign, the Government will try to hide behind the law in their Westminster bunker until they are forced to call a General Election in over a years time.

Our Campaign and Strategy is resilient, targeted action with strikers funded by the levy and very much more strategic use of all out action – taking that action on key dates for Government and in conjunction with other unions is putting more pressure on Ministers, whilst shielding members from making major financial sacrifices in this cost of living crisis.

We should be calling a General strike – as the cost of living crisis goes on, we are getting there by happenstance. It would be better for us that the people/worker power of a General Strike was strategically planned, rather than stumbled into – but our union is doing all in it’s power to unite all workers and unions in action!

In this NEC election you have one choice – continue to support the Campaign and Strategy of the Democracy Alliance NEC. Continue our fight on pay, jobs, pensions and Conditions! Continue with a potentially winning campaign or choose the opposition whose main criticism appears to be placing the emphasis on a greater use of all out strike action without strategic reasons for doing so. Sounds “bobby big baws”, but there’s a word for that – “posturing”, and that never got any worker anything!

Nominate and vote for me and my Democracy Alliance colleagues – for a fighting PCS leadership!