The
Annual Delegate Conference of the Public & Commercial Services (PCS) held
in Brighton between 20th and 22nd May will see a
watershed in both the union’s history and that of the movement. It may well be
the final Conference of the Union as we know it. The National Executive
Committee (NEC) has tabled a motion, if passed, will ultimately lead to a
special conference and a membership ballot to agree a merger with UNITE.
The background is somewhat ironic, in that PCS led the way
and dragged along other more cautious unions in campaigning, both politically
and industrially, against the Government’s austerity agenda, has ended up
becoming another victim of those policies.
The Union’s long-term viability has been undermined by job losses and redundancies in the key Civil Service departments, resulting in the loss of 50,000 members in the last 4 years. The government intends to reduce the size of the civil service to the equivalent of 380,000 full-time staff by 2015. The subscriptions base on which PCS has to operate is diminishing by the year. At the same pension liabilities for PCS, and for its predecessor unions, have created “a black hole”, which could be addressed but would leave PCS a much weaker union. PCS has also put in place plans to reduce the union’s own staff from 255 to 230 by January 2015.
The Union’s long-term viability has been undermined by job losses and redundancies in the key Civil Service departments, resulting in the loss of 50,000 members in the last 4 years. The government intends to reduce the size of the civil service to the equivalent of 380,000 full-time staff by 2015. The subscriptions base on which PCS has to operate is diminishing by the year. At the same pension liabilities for PCS, and for its predecessor unions, have created “a black hole”, which could be addressed but would leave PCS a much weaker union. PCS has also put in place plans to reduce the union’s own staff from 255 to 230 by January 2015.
Privatisation of Civil Service functions is an ever
increasing threat, in which members’ jobs are sold off to private sector
service suppliers. The Commercial section within PCS has grown larger over
recent years as a result of out-sourcing. I believe it is in this area where
the industrial logic for any merger is found. The experience of UNITE in
organising workers in private sector companies, could be said to benefit PCS
members facing privatisation of their jobs.
At this time, PCS is facing many challenges from the Government, designed to hamper activists’ ability to represent members in the workplace. The Cabinet Office has instructed departments to restrict paid time off (facilities time) for all elected trade union posts. The impact has been severe, with representatives having to choose between the activities they were elected to carry out, due to the restricted amount of time available to them. Also the use of dedicated trade union rooms and noticeboards are under threat. The most damaging is the demand by Ministers such as Maude, Pickles and Duncan-Smith that departments end the long established system of payment of union fees through the payroll, known as check off. PCS is urgently asking members to sign direct debit mandates, to head off another potential financial crisis for the union. All of these attacks have originated form right-wing groups, such the Taxpayers Alliance, who have the attention of Tory Ministers and dearly wish to remove trade unions from the public sector.
At this time, PCS is facing many challenges from the Government, designed to hamper activists’ ability to represent members in the workplace. The Cabinet Office has instructed departments to restrict paid time off (facilities time) for all elected trade union posts. The impact has been severe, with representatives having to choose between the activities they were elected to carry out, due to the restricted amount of time available to them. Also the use of dedicated trade union rooms and noticeboards are under threat. The most damaging is the demand by Ministers such as Maude, Pickles and Duncan-Smith that departments end the long established system of payment of union fees through the payroll, known as check off. PCS is urgently asking members to sign direct debit mandates, to head off another potential financial crisis for the union. All of these attacks have originated form right-wing groups, such the Taxpayers Alliance, who have the attention of Tory Ministers and dearly wish to remove trade unions from the public sector.
Activists within PCS have become polarised in the responses
to the Merger, with many calling for a “NO” vote. There is a feeling that the
“membership led” culture of union organisation developed in PCS is under threat
from the hierarchical and full-time officer led structure of UNITE. One issue
that is causing some concern is UNITE’s relationship with the Labour Party. The
hard left want to defend PCS’s, as yet untested, policy of standing or
supporting “independent” candidates in elections. UNITE have already stated
that in talks on the merger, that no change in their political affiliations
will be considered.
PCS’s NEC is at pains to stress that there is no done deal
with UNITE, but their statements then go on to advocate what a “force against
austerity” the new union will be. However, once the grounds for a merger have
been established, especially where finances and the jobs of full-time officers
are at stake, the case for a separate PCS diminishes. A merger will also allow
the problems and restrictions in union representation in Civil Service
workplaces to be addressed by the deployment of full-time union officials.
Activists will have to consider the terms of the PCS – UNITE
merger with the utmost of care, as we stand to lose a great deal in terms of
being activists in a democratic, membership-led union. However, in view of the
dire threats facing PCS we may have to adopt a pragmatic view on merging with
UNITE.
