‘We can overcome obstacles’

There is cause for optimism in PCS, despite the political tumult being seen in the country and the issues facing many members in their workplaces, our general secretary Fran Heathcote told delegates to the union’s national conference.

In moving her annual report as the conference opened in Brighton on Tuesday (19), Fran said there are “many reasons why we can and should be hopeful that together we can overcome those obstacles”. 

She said this was especially true if the union maximises its strength by staying united against the threats we face such as attacks on members’ jobs, political uncertainty and the looming spectre of a future Reform government which – if in power – would launch an assault on our members on a scale not seen before.

Despite the uncertain context there are reasons to celebrate the successes of the past year, said Fran, who also used her speech to address the challenges ahead, including the ongoing civil service pensions debacle, the urgent need for insourcing, and the need to further ‘future-proof’ the union financially.

Reasons for optimism include significant growth for union in the past year, with 21,000 new members taking our membership to more than 191,000.

“With our combined efforts, by the time we meet here again next year, that [number] can be over 200,000. That is something to be celebrated. It won’t happen automatically, but with the hard work of our reps and our organisers, working to recruit and build a stronger union in every workplace,” she said.

To applause, Fran cited several campaigns that had been won by PCS members in dispute with their employers over the last 12 months. These included:

• Office for National Statistics members who defeated the rigid individual office attendance mandate, which Fran called a “massive victory”.
• MyCSP members who won union recognition though strike action as the civil service pension administration transferred to Capita.
• Members on facilities management contracts in central government departments who won a “heroic” victory last year, which has also led to a recently finalised deal for OCS hard services members.
• Members at the British Library, the Tate Galleries, the Met Police and MOPAC who took strike action and won improved pay deals. 
• Home Office members who have secured a three-year above-inflation pay deal.
• PCS negotiators who have secured improved facility time arrangements for all reps in the core civil service.

“What we’ve shown this year is in the core civil service – we can win gains; in the wider public sector we can win gains; and in the commercial sector we can win gains. We can be so proud of what we have achieved when we have stuck together and been united.”

Fran said this had all been achieved before the implementation of the new Employment Rights Act, which will strengthen our hand further. For example, later this year, it’s anticipated that the 50% threshold for ballot turnouts will be removed, building on the changes to notice period and balloting law.

However Fran warned that the removal of the threshold “cannot make us complacent”. 

“Winning a ballot is only a means to an end. To be effective, strike action needs to be disruptive, mobilising as many members as possible – to exert maximum pressure on the employer.”

She said while the removal of Tory anti-strike laws are welcome, PCS has been clear that further improvements to the ERA are still needed and is working with sister unions to that end. 

Good news stories can also be found in the legal representation PCS provides for members. Fran said the union had listened to members and improvements made to the union’s legal department which in the last year had handled 821 cases, secured nearly £0.5 million in damages through employment tribunal claims and settlements, and over £1.2 million in compensation for members with personal injury claims.

Looking ahead, Fran said that on civil service pay PCS negotiators have been pressing the employer on our key demands around pay restoration, tackling low pay, and bringing greater coherence.

Addressing the government, she said the May elections were “a clear sign that you are in the last chance saloon with working class people. If you don’t start delivering real changes for people, then you will get more results like that”.

The general secretary also said Labour’s promised “biggest wave of insourcing in a generation” hadn’t yet registered as even a “ripple” and again demanded the promise be honoured.

“Instead, we have seen civil service pensions given to Capita – and it’s a shambles. But despite that, the government is now in the process of giving Capita the contract for the managing the payroll of 250,000 civil servants. What could possibly go wrong?”

She said the Capita pensions scandal was an “insult to public servants who have dedicated their lives to public service and are being treated shabbily”.

With government ministers making contradictory statements about the intention to insource services, Fran said it appeared the right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing.

“We will keep campaigning until the left hand wins!”

To win for members the union must be organised, build our membership, and build strong finances and campaigning resources for our union. Fran said the NEC had been unanimous in proposing a motion to conference (A97) to create a Surplus Fund Investment Programme to make our union more resilient. The move would expand on existing ethical and social impact investments to create a ringfenced fund with the sole aim of building financial reserves to future-proof PCS.

Fran also said she hoped that in the coming year a consensus could be found on a way to strengthen the union’s strike funds for issues members are facing now.

“If we do enter into a national dispute with national action again, then we need to work out arrangements for a levy that is fair and a war chest to sustain action,” she said.

Fran paid tribute to the campaign work of members and staff across the UK and said much had been achieved in the past year, with many more challenges to face in the coming year.

“Our union has been through some tough times, but we are now emerging as a stronger union that we can all be very proud of. 

“When we take industrial action, when we bargain, when we campaign together, we achieve so much.”

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