| More job cuts - the Tories announced this week plans to cut a further 100,000 civil service jobs, pay capped and 60% more cuts to come have made it a difficult 12 months for our union and members. The government has stepped up its attack on our reps’ facility time to try to undermine the union in workplaces across the UK. The moves to end check-off across civil service departments are a blatant attempt to break the union financially, and undermine our industrial strength. He also criticised the government's plans to raise the thresholds for strike ballots but said that we can take inspiration from next week's first national rail strike in 20 years with the RMT securing a strike vote which would be well above the government's proposed strike threshold. He also cited PCS examples at the National Gallery and Windsor Castle where members had voted overwhelmingly for action. He said the union's strategic review would make it more able to "deliver the types of campaigns we have seen at the National Gallery and the Land Registry where we have put up a real fight and in some cases we have won." "We need to have an honest debate about the environment we're in," he said. Not silenced Mark said it would be easy to be downhearted by stressed that PCS has a proud record of opposing austerity and injustice and will not be silenced. He said we must go forward in unity to make sure that the Tories "do not get away with despicable attacks" they are planning and pointed to the union's success in signing up members to pay their PCS subs by direct debit - 80% in our biggest employer groups. "Some say we should be nicer. It wasn't being nice that saved the Land Registry from privatisation or secured 1,200 Passport Office jobs," he said. Mark also proposed that the union supports a campaign for proportional representation in future general elections so that anti-austerity politics take hold as has been the case across Europe. "We wouldn't be human if we weren't desperately disappointed by the result of the general election. The lesson isn't that the Tories won but that Labour lost, because they failed to offer a credible alternative to austerity politics," he said. "In Scotland the Westminster parties were blown away. Whatever anyone thinks of the SNP, what was clearly rejected was a consensus that backed austerity, Trident renewal and more of the same." Unity He concluded with a rousing message for delegates about the need for unity. "We not only need united co-ordinated action, but we need common demands and common negotiations and industrial action strategies," he said. "Let's go from here determined and inspired, and believing we can win. We need to be prepared to fight like never before. If we do that, we can look forward to the future with confidence. If we look inward, we will regret it for generations to come." Read the annual report in full. http://www.pcs.org.uk/download.cfm?docid=E1FE02C7-6DE2-4000-B0675FE867B3E806 |