Members voted for change in 2024 – that change is still vitally needed

After years of declining pay and other terms and conditions under “Left Unity” (LU), members last year elected to the National Executive Committee (NEC) a majority of Coalition for Change (CfC) candidates, an alliance comprising the PCS Independent Left, the Broad Left Network, and others.

In response, LU has spent the last year wrecking the democracy of PCS, preventing the NEC from functioning properly on behalf of members and squandering your money.

Preparing for the challenges

As we start a new year it’s vital that we prepare for the challenges that face us by winning the battle for democracy, re-launching the national campaign on pay, jobs and pensions, building our strike fund, and fighting for the flexible working rights that all members deserve.

In the 2025 union elections our aim is to again win a clear NEC majority, win the position of president and implement the programme set out below.

Pay restoration

The real value of civil service pay is in long term decline, with awards year on year below the rate of inflation: between 2010 and 2023, median civil service annual pay fell between 15 and 38%, depending on the grade and inflation indicator. We got the worst public sector awards in 2023 and 2024 and at present are heading for a mere 2.8% in 2025, which the Government says must come out of existing budgets i.e. more job cuts. All the time, under current pay structures, staff doing work of the same value but in different departments are not getting the same pay.

We will:

• Fight for the restoration of the purchasing power of our salaries, taking inspiration from the junior doctors’ demand for pay restoration.
• For an end to the endemic low pay that grips tens of thousands of our colleagues.
• For above inflation increases to salaries – not for one off, non-pensionable, pro rata bonuses – that are fully funded by increased departmental budgets.
• For a return to national civil service pay rates and national bargaining and equal pay across the Civil Service.

A campaign to win

Given continuing attacks from government, we will build a campaign in line with conference policy, including a democratically agreed plan of national and selective strike action, and action short of strikes, to defeat the continuing squeeze on our living standards.

We will develop key issues – such as jobs, office closures, flexible/hybrid working – into national campaigning to fight the thousands of planned job cuts announced by the Labour Government. We need to campaign against office closures; for more staff to remove stress and work pressures; stop the erosion of sick pay and other rights, including in privatised sectors.

End multi-tier Terms & Conditions

Campaign to end the multi-tier work force, which sees newer, predominantly younger, staff on worse conditions than longer service staff with “legacy” terms, by uprating the newer colleagues.

Defend flexible working

Workers should have ultimate flexibility to choose to work from home or the office, including operational staff where this can be enabled by technology. Employer policies that mandate any arbitrary percentage for office attendance should be rejected as unnecessary, unworkable and unequal in impact.

For a campaign to reverse detrimental pension changes

Full pension retirement age should be 55. In the civil service, it is 68, too late. We pay too much and get too little, and privatised PCS members often have it even worse.

Put equality genuinely at the heart of what PCS does

For an end to inequality across the civil service, devolved and privatised areas. Fight to halt all discrimination in pay, terms & conditions, and employer policies, and root out harassment and bullying in all workplaces.

We will insist on equality impact assessment prior to, and post implementation, of all employer proposals. Give full support for reps to build anti-discrimination cases and campaigns from the ground up.

We will reaffirm PCS’ commitment to fighting for trans rights and opposition to gender critical ideology.

Mass drive to recruit non-members

For a powerful union in every workplace, with a radical overhaul of how we organise, in full dialogue with Groups, branches and regions, significantly driving up PCS’ membership density level.

Organise, resource, and support PCS members in the private sector

Commit to a serious struggle to improve levels of unionisation and organisation in private, privatised, and outsourced companies and services; improve terms and conditions at work across all private sector members, particularly on pay, holidays, sick leave, sick pay, bullying and trade union recognition. End outsourcing and bring all staff back in-house.

Legal Services

At the moment legal services are not consistently delivered. That has to change. Every member and branch asking for advice should get that advice in a timely way. Groups and National branches needing legal advice and help for industrial relations reasons should get such advice and help. This is not a criticism of staff working in PCS Legal but a recognition that the current system is not working for all.

We will conduct a comprehensive review of legal services undertaken by the NEC, which was blocked this year by the National President, in full consultation with representatives and members and with a view to substantially improving the support to representatives and members.

Defend and increase union democracy

Build membership engagement, accountability, and democracy in PCS. For a democratic union run by and accountable to members and elected representatives, that values the role of branches and puts its power and money behind their campaigns:

• Develop membership engagement, deepen democracy, drive up election turnouts.
• Timely and informative reports to members on key bargaining issues to improve accountability and the ability of members to inform and shape negotiations.
• Enable representatives to use national union membership data and resources to communicate directly with members.
• Subject the General Secretary to the rules of PCS and accountability to the NEC and ensure future PCS presidents work within a rigorously democratic framework to ensure the proper functioning of the NEC.
• Empower Region Committees to improve membership engagement with PCS.
• Put in place a permanent arrangement for sustainably building the Fighting Fund, to avoid temporary levies.
• More power and resources to left behind areas such as the Met Police and the Culture Group.
• Greater devolution of power to members in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Members in the Scottish and Welsh Governments determining the pace and form of their pay, terms and conditions, campaigns.
• Retain annual elections for the National Executive Committee, based on the current size of the NEC.
• Election of PCS employed full time officers with bargaining responsibility for our members.
• Bringing pay of full-time officers more in to line with the wages of union members (salaries well in excess of £100k pa for top officials are unacceptable).

Reinvigorate PCS political campaigning

Build greater public awareness of the vital work undertaken by PCS members. Fight for the repeal of anti-trade union laws. Oppose all public sector cuts. Campaign for energy democracy and for a National Climate Service; for a universal social security net run in the interest of staff and claimants; for Tax Justice in the UK; against racism and fascism.

Artificial Intelligence

Negotiate a national agreement on the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI), including protections on jobs and services and reductions in the working hours and working week with no loss of pay.

Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (Formerly DDaT)

Nearly one in twenty staff in the UK civil service are IT specialists of one sort or another. Many of these are on what used to be called the Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) framework. Yet the General Secretary, despite a clear instruction by the NEC majority, has not worked up a DDAT pay claim nor sought to organise IT workers.

If we win an NEC majority and the President’s position that will change, and the union will properly organise Digital workers.

Support the joint slate for change

These candidates are standing this year to enact this programme, but we need members to support them by proposing your branch nominates them at your AGM’s.