Key steps to getting ballot-ready

Talks with the Cabinet Office on our national campaign demands continued towards the end of 2023. While positive, they are unlikely to be enough to end our dispute, and we are putting in place plans to get members ready for a ballot in the new year.

It’s vital that if we run a statutory ballot of our members for further industrial action, we are in the best place to be able to win. These are the key steps that all branches need to take and the support that is available from PCS to help in getting ballot-ready.

  1. Organising plan in every branch

Each branch should develop an organising plan, pinpointing organisational gaps, and setting targets to address these gaps. Work with your allocated PCS full-time officer to get these plans in place.  

  1. Record accurate staff figures

Recording precise staff figures for all workplaces on PCS Digital. Use the organising hub within Digital to do this.

  1. Update personal contact information

We need to be able to communicate with all our members away from employer systems, and need personal email and mobile numbers to do this. The organising hub makes it easy to record that we have spoken to members, and hold updated contact details for them. We have a video guide to this.

  1. Tackle invalid or out-of-date ballot addresses

Anti-union laws in the UK mean that all statutory ballots must be done by post. Members should be asked to update their ballot addresses to ensure they receive paper ballot papers. Branches should go through lists where members have workplace addresses recorded and get these changed to home addresses. Use the organising hub to do this, and check the video for instuctions.

  1. Drive up registration for PCS Digital

Members can update their address and contact details themselves using PCS Digital, as well as accessing learning opportunities so we should promote PCS Digital registration. This series of videos, “Make the most of your union membership” guides members through this.

  1. Recruit

Run recruitment activities across your workplace to drive up membership. There are resources to help with this such as guides and training on running induction sessions, and a workplace campaign template. Check PCS Digital and speak to your full-time officer to find out what organising training is available for reps and advocates from the PCS Academy.

Not registered for Digital?

If you haven’t registered for PCS Digital all you need to do on the online form is enter your surname, your first name and then your PCS membership number, which has 7 digits and starts with a P (you'll find it on any emails you've had from us). You then enter your personal email address and click on the sign-up button. You will then receive an email from us with instructions on how to set up your password.

Not yet a member? Join PCS today.