Sometimes you come across a phrase or saying that captures current reality. The above does so for the current situation in PCS.

Once upon a time, union leaders started action to win gains or to defend something but in PCS our main demand in effect is that we must have talks (they won’t talk, so we must walk). We now seem to have gone beyond that and we take action, for action sake. No doubt in secret, calculation is had as to the effectiveness of the current strike tactics and demands (we hope so; if not then truly the union leadership is lost). But talking to NEC members you get the impression they are hoping for something to turn up i.e. NUT; you get no impression that they know what to do except keep taking action.

Whilst members of the IL will faithfully get people on strike, go on strike, recruit members, form picket lines etc, that doesn’t mean we have to stay silent. Unlike the right wing, we are in favour of action, but we want to win material gains for members, not just win the right to the talk to the boss.