There will be a meeting in the evening addressed by Mark Serwotka, PCS General Secretary Elect,, at Friends Meeting House, 6pm, on Wednesday 31 July. (see flyer)

Over a year ago members voted for Mark Serwotka to be the new General Secretary of the PCS Union. Following that election there began an extended handover of work between the outgoing General secretary, Barry Reamsbottom and Mark. That handover was meant to be completed on the 1 June when Mark would take up all of the duties of the General Secretary. Barry Reamsbottom had agreed these arrangements; indeed he signed a contract and agreed to leave on the 1 June in return for a £120,000 pay off!!

Now in an amazing turn round, just days before having to leave, the right wing grouping (called the Moderates) on the newly elected National Executive Committee have said that Mark will not be the General Secretary and that Barry Reamsbottom can stay on to 1 April 2004.

Mark Serwotka won the election with 42,000 votes; Barry Reamsbottom has never faced election in the PCS (he was a General Secretary from one of the Unions that formed the PCS). Thus the very idea of democracy, that those with the most votes win elections and take up post, has been thrown out by the right wing on the NEC. The "Moderates" have in effect set up a dictatorship in the Union; they are in charge no matter who the members vote for.

Not only is democracy is at stake (whether votes count at all) but future pay prospects as well. Mark was elected on the promise to move us back to National Pay, that is that all civil servants should be paid the same pay rate no matter what part of the Service they work; the Modertaes are 100% opposed to this. A return to National Pay would mean large pay raises for most members.

Mark wanted to stop the clampdown on sick leave; the Moderates do not; Mark wanted members to have legal representation if they get into trouble at work; the Moderates do not. The Moderates, however, are willing to spend £100,000s of Union money to defend their unlawful actions in court as they seek to effectively sack Mark.

The facts are:
a) the National Moderate Group, a very peculiar and Left-hating right wing group, won an absolute majority in the NEC elections;

b) the sane, more trade union oriented, members of 'Membership First' (the sane element variously describe themselves as Social Democrats or Socialists depending on age, taste, and political education but they were the dominant, blairite hued, faction on the previous NEC) were pretty much wiped out in those elections;

c) the Inland Revenue wing of Membership First (a grouping which used to be called Mainstream in the days when there was an independent Inland Revenue [Staff Federation] union) secured a number of seats but are a more red-baiting crew than their ''social democratic' chums at b above, and at least some if this Mainstream/MF wing are more like Reamsbottom's Mod Group;

d) Left Unity made gains in the NEC elections (in the administrative and support grade categories) and gained President and Administrative Grade Vice-President. These will not be enough, however, to seriously challenge the Mod control and certainly not once some or all of the IR Membership First group vote with the Mods;

e) the difficulty for the Mods was the Left's hold on the General Secretary - with Reamsbottom due to take early retirement soon - and Presidential posts;

f) shortly after the end of the Biennial Delegate Conference Barry Reamsbottom called an emergency NEC. Contrary to the rules of the Union he refused to consult the President and, indeed, did not tell her what the meeting was being called for;

g) the meeting was plainly planned by the Moderate Group;

h) the President, Janice Godrich, declared the meeting unconstitutional but the Mods proceeded with a meeting anyway (which they are claiming was a bona fide NEC). A Maninstream/MF character called Euers took the chair;

i) there was a considerable commotion but a number of so-called NC decisions were taken. These inclded the 'decision' that Reamsbotom would remain General Secretary until his original retirement year of 2004; that Serwotka would not be General Secretary (the 'NEC' deciding that his election was unlawful on the basis of some legal advice obtained by Reamsbottom); and that the President and Left Unity members be excluded from all NEC sub-cttees.

It is an attempt at a coup within PCS. In its fundamentals it is not about Serwotka: it is a declaration that the Left can never win an election that matters.

Who are the "Moderates"? see
 http://www.workersliberty.org.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=129