PCS NEC Elections Start 19 April - Support The Democracy Alliance For A Fighting Leadership- Defending Jobs, Pensions And Public Services

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PCS Left Unity National Committee Statement on Pensions Campaign. March 2012

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The PCS National Executive Committee met on March 19th to consider the result of the PCS indicative ballot on the pension’s campaign. Members voted to reject the government offer by 90.5% and to support the proposed campaign of action including a one-day strike on March 28th with other public sector unions by 72.1%.

Since 2004 the Democracy Alliance led National Executive Committee have held seven successful national ballots; this indicative vote is the best result of them all, achieved in difficult circumstances.

PCS and Left Unity has been very clear about how we fight the pensions attack – pensions reform is part of the wider cuts and privatisation programme and must be challenged in this context. That is why PCS was one of the few unions to ballot members at an early stage and won a mandate to take action not only about pensions but also jobs, pay and privatisation. We always recognised however, that pensions was the issue around which we could unite: it was the most likely issue around which to build a public sector-wide trade union alliance capable of exerting the type of industrial and political pressure, that could defeat this attack or win concessions. The government intends to roll out pensions “reform” across the public sector: coordinated national coordinated industrial action is the key to challenging their plans.

PCS worked tirelessly to build such a union alliance. Left Unity did so too. We took the argument for such a strategy into the TUC but more importantly into the city and town committees, trades councils, workplaces and anti-cuts alliances that had sprung up in the face of the government’s vicious cuts programme. No union leadership did more to build the pressure on the TUC and on those union leaders that wanted nothing more than to settle on any terms the government saw fit.

On June 30th last year PCS, along with education unions, including the NUT, the biggest teaching union, took industrial action. The strike demonstrated workers were prepared to struggle. On that day UNISON, GMB and other union members joined in the demonstrations and rallies and asked the obvious question, if these workers leaders are prepared to lead them in struggle to defend their pensions why can’t ours? The example of J30 and the government’s intransigence in negotiations fuelled by their contempt of union leaders who were craven cowards unprepared to raise a finger to defend their members forced even UNISON’s Dave Prentis and the TUC general secretary Brendan Barber into going for action on November 30th.  

N30 saw nearly two million workers take action against the government. If the alliance had held and called further national coordinated action, targeted action and stepped up political campaigning there is no doubt concessions would have been won, a victory and withdrawal of the proposals could not have been ruled out on the basis of such a campaign.  However, the TUC and some other union leaders were as terrified as the Tories at the sight of millions of workers determined to fight and scandalously they embraced the divide and rule tactics of the government by accepting an ultimatum to call off the industrial action campaign to “consider” a so-called Heads of Agreement that offered no concessions whatsoever on the core issues millions struck for, paying more, getting less and working longer. 

The Public Sector Liaison Group met in December of last year, Prentis and Barber intended to push through their “offer” from Maude and Alexander but their plans were spoiled by the principled statement made by Mark Serwotka with the full support of the NEC that categorically rejected this shameful “arrangement”. Sometimes in a struggle the actions of even one union can have a tremendous impact – Mark was articulating the view of the PCS NEC that the battle on pensions must go on and that PCS would do all it could to pull together an alliance capable of challenging the government’s plans and winning concessions.

The government had done all it could to isolate PCS for its refusal to lie down and die on pensions. Those trade union leaders who were selling the “offer” in our movement also tried to isolate PCS. But they did not succeed and more unions joined the “rejectionists”.

PCS Left Unity called an activists conference on January 7th. More than 500 activists from all the major unions come together to plan the way forward. This event was a key element in re-building an alliance that could fight on, recognising that this is a defining battle and failure to stand up to the attack would give the government the green light to step up their attacks on jobs, pay, privatisation and terms and conditions.  

The PCS indicative ballot took place in the context of all these events. The ballot was aimed not just at getting a YES/YES vote but also at mobilising members, explaining to them that we should continue campaigning on pensions despite the fact the N30 coalition had seen some major unions withdraw. The NEC argued it was possible to put together a credible alliance constituting the majority of members in the civil service and education pensions sectors. We explained to members that with such an alliance and on the basis of a programme of nationally coordinated action, targeted action and political campaigning it would be possible to win concessions. This strategy was based on a thorough analyses of the situation including the demand from activists and members  - that while protest action has its place, members now expect action to put real pressure on the employer.

The  NUT National Executive Committee voted last week not to take action on March 28th. The University lecturers union UCU said it would take action in further education colleges and post-92 higher education colleges, which are part of the teacher’s pension’s scheme which would mean they would not be taking action in Scotland.UNITE in the civil service, mainly MOD guards, were due to take action as well but because of an issue with their mandate they are now balloting members so won’t be taking action on the 28th. The Northern Ireland Public Services Association (NIPSA) would almost certainly have taken action had the PCS NEC agreed to but they are meeting today to discuss the changed circumstances.

To go ahead on M28 in such circumstances would mean PCS members would be on their own in large parts of the country and elsewhere on the basis of a considerably reduced alliance. PCS members would be taking action without the type of coalition capable of pressurising the government into returning to the negotiating table – the exact opposite of what they were balloted on.

The NEC unanimously agreed that PCS must continue to work with other unions to build for national coordinated action at the earliest possible opportunity and before the end of April if possible. It was also agreed to organise mass constituency lobbying of MP’s during the Easter recess, including cabinet minister’s constituencies. PCS branches will support and organise local protests and campaign events against the governments cuts programme, including their latest vicious plans for regional and local pay.

We must honestly recognise that the NUT decision not to take national action on the 28th March is a setback: but if NUT conference which takes place in a few weeks decides to build for national coordinated action then action before the end of April with a strengthened coalition is entirely possible and certainly what PCS will work for.

PCS will give what support and solidarity to the strike planned by NUT and UCU in London only on March 28th but correctly will not join that action because it is not the type of industrial action response we consulted our members about, national coordinated action across at least two sectors capable of winning concessions.

Clearly PCS reps who have worked so hard to deliver a YES/YES vote and built for March 28th will be disappointment: it is also entirely understandable there may be even some disagreement with the decision. But the facts as laid out in this statement point to only one conclusion – it would be treating our members with complete disrespect if the NEC decided to press on with action regardless of the issue we balloted them about ie taking action on the basis of a campaign strategy with a coalition of unions across two pension sectors capable of winning concessions by delivering nationally co-ordinated industrial action that would force the government back to the negotiating table.

No union has done more to stand up to this government than PCS; no union has a better record for standing up for its members interests. The decision not to proceed with M28 is the correct one. While regrouping the alliance cannot be contingent on decisions at the NUT conference in a few weeks time if the decision is to continue the pensions fight by voting for nationally coordinated action it would be a significant boost that could see the reforming of a credible alliance capable of winning concessions with action in April. That is what we now must be campaigning hard to achieve.

PCS will continue to work for the widest possible trade union alliance that recognises the fight against the pension’s robbery is part of a broader fight against the government’s austerity agenda. PCS will now do all it can to build for effective action in April.   

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