Trade union values against racism and division

Over the past 12 months, PCS has stepped up its response to the rising threat of the far-right. Speakers at the ADC fringe meeting last night were Weyman Bennett (co-chair of Stand Up to Racism) as well as PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote, and PCS members Tracey Hylton and Karen Alderson.

“Standing firm in our values”

Fran said: “PCS is a union built on solidarity, equality, and inclusion. These are not just words on a page; they are the principles that guide how we organise, how we represent our members, and how we build collective strength. But we meet this evening at a moment when those values are being actively challenged by a growing far-right threat across our workplaces and our communities.

“In the face of all this, PCS has reviewed and updated its anti-racist anti-fascist strategy. It strengthens guidance and research, highlights new materials and training, and supports members to use civil service standards and diversity frameworks to challenge racism at work.

“But just as important as what we oppose is what we stand for. PCS has clearly set out our alternatives: in short, tax the rich instead of austerity, safe routes for migrants instead of demonising refugees, effective social security instead of demonising the most vulnerable.

“There will be some PCS members sympathetic to Reform. We should not dismiss or write them off. Instead, we must listen, engage, and have those conversations. Argument and evidence will show that Reform’s solutions will not materially improve the lives of working-class people.

“The trade union movement must lead this fight. PCS is already playing that role –working across unions, building alliances, and leading anti-racist work. We will not allow intimidation, racism or discrimination of any kind to go unchallenged. Instead, we will continue to organise, educate and mobilise, standing firm in our values. Equality and inclusion are not optional extras - they are who we are.

Community conversations

Tracey Hylton is vice chair of the PCS national Black members’ committee, she told the meeting about her experiences: 

“As a teenager I went on marches but as I got older I got even more active, working in the voluntary sector, including with asylum seekers and foreign nationals. It’s in our communities that we have to work. The far-right is on the rise with a completely false narrative that people want to believe. Because of the Southport killings, minority areas of Liverpool were targeted by thugs but trade unionists and community organisations stood together to defend them.

“So we have to have challenging conversations with our colleague, neighbours and family members. It’s hard to talk to people who think they know the truth from social media and we can’t come across as preaching at them. Instead, we must show them respect while explaining that they’re mistaken.”

“Not statistics but children”

Karen Alderson is president of PCS Home Office Group and a member of the NEC who recently travelled with a delegation to see the work of Care 4 Calais.

“The far-right thieves on fear, misinformation and dehumanisation. Our response must be rooted in truth and humanity. In Calais we saw camps of flimsy tents in exposed, muddy areas. Most of the people we met were between 14 and 25 years old, having fled conflict and persecution in places like Sudan. They’re not statistics, they are children and young people. Seeing a young man cling to a fleece as the most precious thing he owned really stays with you.

“But what struck us all was their dignity – polite, friendly, respectful. There’s a serious loss of humanity in the way asylum seekers are discussed, where deaths in the Channel are celebrated. These young people are not a threat but humans with families and hopes for the future. We must refuse to allow marginalised groups to be blamed for political failures they did not create.”

Build big

Weyman Bennett is co-chair of Stand Up to Racism and paid tribute to PCS’s tireless work: “I do not believe there would have been an anti-fascist anti-racist movement today were it not for PCS. What convinces misled people is the work you do on the ground, when you work for HO or the jobcentre standing up and saying what they believe. And when you look at demonstrations, every single back picture going back decades has a PCS flag or trade union flags.

“When the vice president of the USA publicly backs Tommy Robinson, I’m not surprised working class people are confused about what’s taking place. But half a million people turned up for the Together Alliance demonstration and Unite the Kingdom was the minority. Reform have actually recently gone down in popularity. A consequence of their rise has been attacks on women, in the streets and in workplaces. We have to build a big enough movement to push them back, and we have to use trade unions to fight against all forms of repression.”

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