A special meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) is scheduled for Thursday, October 23. We expect a recommendation from the General Secretary against holding a national ballot of UK civil service members.

If that happens, it will be challenged by the Independent Left (IL).  We argue that PCS should re-start preparations for an industrial action owing to the political and economic climate we face. IL recognises though, given the lack of action from Left Unity that there needs to be a proper run up to a ballot. Realistically we think therefore the vote will have to be next year.

Factual Basis for Proposed Ballot

Here are the concrete developments driving our demand for a national ballot in 2026:

•              Government Policy: Labour is committed to implementing cuts to departmental administrative budgets. The government has acknowledged these cuts will result in job losses.

•              Future Political Pressure: Both the Conservative and Reform parties have publicly committed to “massive cuts in civil service numbers,” creating a political climate that could pressure Labour to adopt deeper cuts.

•              No Job Protection: The existing Jobs Protocol redeployment process is “wholly inadequate,” providing no guaranteed protection against compulsory job losses. We need real guarantees around job security.

•              Pay Dispute Justification: The “objective conditions” for a pay ballot are met, as evidenced by:

o             The outcomes of the 2025 pay round which resulted in living standards falling for most members.

o             The high number of members on or near the minimum wage.

o             The continuing gross inequalities in pay systems and terms and conditions across the UK civil service.

Due to the Labour government’s “self-imposed fiscal rules,” talks alone won’t secure an adequate pay award in 2026 or address systemic pay disparities, including the failure to uphold the principle of equal pay for work of equal value across the UK civil service.

Independent Left’s Proposals

We want policy of “aggressive industrial preparation” and will argue:

1.            Immediate Preparation: The union should begin working immediately towards preparing for a national ballot in 2026 of UK civil service members concerning pay terms and conditions, and job security.

2.            NDC Tasking: The National Disputes Committee (NDC) should be formally tasked with planning for this national ballot.

3.            Reporting Deadline: The NDC must present an initial, comprehensive plan for the 2026 ballot to the December NEC meeting for review and approval.

So we are not committing the union to calling strike action immediately; we understand the mood of members and activists, but we have to put in place the machinery for a ballot, and we actually have to campaign around pay, jobs, terms and conditions and national bargaining.