This is a follow up to an earlier posting Left Unity’s Real Reasons for Retreat – Part 1: It’s About Control

Firstly we have to be honest and say that PCS in is a minority union.

Left Unity believe this low membership density makes effective collective action difficult and limits the union’s ability to deliver a strong strike. Furthermore, they are genuinely worried about mobilising the members we do have. The risk, in their view, is not the government’s reaction, but the potential exposure of the union’s organisational weakness.

They have internalised our weakness and factored it into their assessment of the situation that faces us. Instead of viewing the union’s current size as a challenge to be overcome through aggressive organising, they see it as a permanent limitation on our actions. Their focus therefore is not on fighting the employer but on managing PCS itself. We see this plainly in their priorities: they see surpluses, healthy bank balances as a measure of success, rather than counting the number of fully engaged and mobilized members.

This approach is not leadership—it’s management. Union managers look at numbers, internalise risks, and avoid bold moves likely to upset the status quo. Leaders inspire members to take action and build real confidence in collective power. LU’s inertia is a choice, built into every decision they make to keep PCS stable rather than growing, defensive rather than offensive. It’s evident in their repeated decision to avoid national ballots, citing apathy or weakness rather than challenging those conditions head-on.

Moreover, they have done nothing serious to change the union to a majority one, let alone a super majority one.

We contrast this with the successful organising strategies championed elsewhere in the labour movement, particularly those discussed by organisations like Labor Notes. These movements understand that power is not preserved; it is built. They employ a strategy of “supermajority organising,” which demands systematic, person-to-person engagement across every workplace, targeting both members and non-members, using escalating actions to build a credible strike threat.

Successful unions do not wait until they reach perfect density before taking risks; they use the fight itself to recruit and consolidate power. This militant approach is centred on cultivating rank-and-file leaders and accepting the calculated risks that are necessary to break employer resistance.

We in the Independent Left believe the only way to escape the trap of being a minority union is to stop fearing the 50% threshold and start organising with the aggression and member-led focus required to smash through it.

If you believe the same then join us: https://pcsindependentleft.com/join-us/