Despite all our criticisms of the current DWP GEC leadership, we will do our upmost to deliver a YES vote in the DWP ballot that will start on the 19th January.

With regards to the ballot, we recognise that the DWP’s senior managers and behind them, the Government, are the only adversaries that matter. Failing to secure the much-needed “YES” vote would be a collective defeat, stripping us of our only real source of leverage. Winning the ballot creates genuine bargaining power. We are clear though that if the ballot results provide a mandate for industrial action then we have to move quickly to use it, too often we wait to exhaust talks with management and just exhaust the membership instead.

So, if we deliver the DWP strike mandate, we must be prepared to execute the strike action with speed and conviction. The DWP and the Government are calculating on our willingness to dither and return to protracted, stalling talks.

We cannot afford to fall into the trap of using the threat of action as an excuse to delay actual action. Our leverage is perishable; it is at its maximum the moment the result is declared. Immediate mobilisation is the only way to convert a successful ballot result into tangible wins for our members.

We win the ballot to secure the threat, but we take action to make the threat real.

Vote “YES” and support the DWP ballot.