A Labour government must listen to PCS demands on workers' rights, conference agrees
Motion A12 called for PCS to press an incoming Labour government on its pledges and the debate called for our union to hold Keir Starmer's feet to the fire after yesterday's general election announcement.
The motion highlighted the commitments the Labour party had made, including the ban on zero-hours contracts, a "wave of insourcing of public services" and the repeal of Tory anti-union laws. Labour had also pledged to strengthen trade union rights in access to workplaces to organise, and to ensure representatives have sufficient time to negotiate with employers and to defend members.
James, from PSg Office for Water Services branch, said that under Labour, "the civil service will be under new management, with the emphasis on management" and that they would talk about "tough decisions", and called for engagement with shadow ministers in advance of the election.
Demanding better industrial relations with an incoming government
In this context the PCS demands agreed by conference anticipate the challenges ahead with any incoming government. The motion set out demands for improved bargaining structures in the civil service including national pay bargaining. It called for the closing of gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps. The demand upon civil service senior leadership would be for a fundamental reset to positive relations with PCS and the removal of obstacles to organising such as lack of facility time, and better rights to employer information.
A call for remission fell, and the motion was carried.
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