PCS Left Alliance

The move to 60% hybrid working starts this month and pay is being implemented in pay packets in this month.

No Serious Campaign Straight after Conference

A serious campaign should have started straight after conference in June on both pay and hybrid working. There should have been members meetings to build for action in September with a clear threat given to the employer that we will use all means possible if our conference demands were not met.

Talks Without the Collective Mobilisation of Members

Instead, Left Unity went into talks with management without consultation or the collective mobilisation of members. The talks were also held in secret, with negotiators not reporting back to the GEC until the talks were completed. The employer just saw the negotiators and not the membership behind them.

The excuse given by the PCS General Secretary at a recent activist meeting in not holding members meetings before talks was along the lines off we did not know the outcomes of pay negotiations from the different bargaining areas. In doing this they have completely failed to understand the necessity to mobilise members as part of pay negotiations before, during, and after talks. We are a member’s led union after all and not a top-down leadership. We need our members mobilised behind our negotiators!

No Campaign for Pay Restoration, Pay Progression and Pay Significantly above Minimum Wage

Members, as we all know, continue to receive a pittance of pay for their hard work in supporting the disadvantaged in society. Our pay continues to deteriorate with ever falling living standards. Where is the serious campaign on pay restoration, pay progression and a pay rises to take all our members finally above the minimum wage? Where is the campaign material that unites and mobilises the whole union from AA to G6 in line with conference policy for action?

Access to members Personal Emails and Mobile Numbers

Despite the successful passing of national motion A226, Left Unity have failed to implement it, which now seriously hinders the preparation for any ballots on industrial action. 

This is important as it gives access to branch reps to personal mobiles and personal emails so they can communicate with their members effectively. In failing to honour motion A226 and provide this information its impact  compromises reps and their ability to discuss the possible need for industrial action without the fear of disciplinary action being taken by the employer. The Left Unity leadership are clearly not serious in supporting branch reps in building for action. They are still hiding behind GDPR legislation in preventing access to branch records and yet branch reps are still trusted with extremely sensitive personal cases. Our branch reps need the tools for the job as we operate at the coal face with members. Also, the nonsense that only Full-Time Officers can be trusted with information on IT systems was highlighted with the union recently having to apologise for a mistake in issuing emails on death benefits. We all make mistakes but now is the time in giving access to members records to elected branch officials to enable them to build thriving branches communicating on all subjects with members in line with conference policy.

Unite All Grades and Recognise the Leverage of Senior Roles to increase the size of the ‘Pay Cake’!

At the recent GEC Left Unity in debating pay spent time attacking SEOs, G7s and G6 members of PCS until an AO member of the GEC pointed out we are meant to be a union that represents all our members, regardless of grade. The campaign should be about increasing the size of the cake, using the full leverage of the whole union rather than seeking to move money between grades. Left Unity fail to understand that the senior grades are in key positions in HQ, such digital and policy, and if their labour were to be withdrawn as part of a serious campaign on pay and hybrid working this would see the employer significantly impacted. Unity is strength.

Hybrid Working  

The cost of the of 60% office attendance is having a major impact on our members caring commitments and financial situation. This coupled with already poor pay and attacks our members work-life balance, with more time spent travelling which in turn impacts the climate. And whilst back-office staff have access to hybrid, in Jobcentres staff have not been given the option. And again, we see the lack of a real campaign from this Left Unity leadership to demand that Jobcentre staff have the same access to hybrid working as others.

Reps are now being embroiled in personal cases due to the Left Unity leaderships  failure to collectivise the issue. There should have been a collective industrial response in September if our demands on pay and hybrid were not met.

Equality is under attack. We are seeing members with reasonable adjustments being called in for reviews and forced to have OHS reviews impacting on their disabilities and work life balance.

Carers are being expected to change their caring commitments and, in some cases, will be seeing an exponential cost of do so.

Systems have also been developed to monitor and are in place from September to micromanage members on office attendance. More individual work for branch reps. Again, where is the collective response from the union to implement conference policy to build an industrial response .

Transform the Union – Demand more from the failing Left Unity Leadership

The density of the union continues to fall, linking campaigning, bargaining, and organising is essential. The union needs to be transformed with an understanding that collective campaigns with the threat of action or actual action is needed to successfully rebuild the union. Our industrious local branch reps and our members deserve better, we need a leadership that collectivises and mobilises its membership behind conference policy on pay, hybrid working and other issues.

Demand the PCS leadership implement conference policy and fight collectively on pay and hybrid working.

 If you would like to work collectively with the Left Alliance in seeking to implement conference policy for members, please contact us using the email address pcs.leftalliance@mail.com.