The NUT executive has decided that it wants to strike at the end of March over pensions. The UCU had wanted this strike on the 1st March. PCS, as far as we have been able to pierce the wall of silence that surrounds these things, had no date in mind but we now assume (hope) that they will fall in behind the education unions.

Given the decision to consult members over whatever pension package emerges from the civil service pension talks (these are due to end mid Feb) the end of March (assuming that members vote against the package) seems like the best bet for the next strike.

Of course after that strike the question becomes what next? PCS walked into 30 November strike without a plan for the aftermath, other than having a naive faith in union leaders such as Dave Prentis that somehow he would stick with us. We fear the same will happen again. There needs to be a concrete plan of further action, industrial, legal, financial (levies for example) and political after the possible end of March strike. This plan has to have an option of PCS going it alone if necessary. In many things in life it is OK to have a “we’ll fix it on the night, we’ll improvise” attitude; in a war that is a wrong, indeed it is a fatal attitude. We need a plan, no to flying on a wing and a prayer.