Throughout this year IL and Coalition for Change members of the National Executive Committee opposed the General Secretary’s staffing re-structure, as it poured members money into providing incredibly well remunerated jobs for their loyal factional allies.

The General Secretary, with the support of the National President and LU minority on the NEC ensured it was pushed through without scrutiny or a vote of the NEC.

We claimed at the time, that the creation of a new ‘super grade’ within the union was unnecessary and could not be justified while our lowest paid members receive derisory pay offers and languish on the minimum wage.

We also pointed out that the re-structure would mean that the General Secretary would have provided herself a significant overnight pay-rise, on top of a salary our members could only dream of.

This week the unions 2025 financial report has been published. It demonstrates the impact of the staffing and grading restructure on the salary of the General Secretary.

Below is the comparison between the last 2 years salaries. The lowest spine-point of Band B7, the General Secretaries salary, increased from £78,187 to £90,084 (highlighted). A 13.3% or £11,897 pay rise.

The Assistant General Secretary, John Moloney is the only other Full-time officer on that pay point. However, unlike the General Secretary, John has maintained the principle that elected officials should not gain financially, from members’ subs, on account of gaining office and has therefore consistently only taken the wage of a London EO, paying the rest back each month to PCS..

Members have a right to be angry. This is your money being spent by your union leadership, feathering their own nest. And doing so while so flagrantly ignoring your elected NEC members who have the mandate from you, the members, to prevent this from happening.

There may have been some consolation if the General Secretary and President had achieved a similar pay-rise for our members this year. There may then have been an argument that this was appropriate. But no, as with previous years, we have been imposed with the lowest pay-rise in the public sector, and more and more of our members are on the legal minimum employers can pay.

The only way to curtail the power of the General Secretary and President to prevent such wanton excesses, but to also fight for the interests of our members, is to elect a majority leadership who will do just that. This is why members should ensure they vote for the Coalition for Change candidates when ballots start landing though doors from April 16^th.

We are tired of a union that doesn’t deliver for members. We are sure you are too.

P/S: We are aware that Left Unity have published an article refuting this information. Claiming that the General Secretary is no longer on the B7 rate, but on the same as the people she manages and therefore ‘only'(!) on £82,089.

We don’t accept that the GS is on the same money as those allies she’s given promotions to, but even if we did, it’s still the case that the General Secretary’s salary band maxima has increased by £6k to £113k! This is still an outrageous pay bump, which they are guaranteed to progress to! Why on earth should the General Secretary enrich themselves like this at the expense of the members?