Whilst formally, many of the political factions that make up left unity have a position of full time officials on a workers wage, yet LU has never sought to implement this fundamental position; indeed the Socialist Party has twice opposed mild conference motions that sought to bring FTO wages more into line with that of the members.

The same goes for the election of FTOs as well.

Despite formal positions, comrades in LU, when they had the chance to radically change the union have not done so. A key driver of politics is the defence of material interests. Many former LU comrades are full time officials and clearly they, and the NEC, are defending their material interests in resisting changes in wages and elections. In other words, despite the rhetoric, PCS is an ordinary trade union, albeit with more left wing formal positions, and is like all the other unions in the TUC with an entrenched bureaucracy sitting over the membership. The Independent Left is in business to reverse that.