Branch Secretary PCS DWP North East London (personal capacity) PCS, the Civil Service Union held its group and national conferences in Brighton between June 5-9.
Before the conference, Left Unity slates - dominated by the Socialist Party (SP) - won elections for the Department for Work and Tensions (DWP) Group Executive Committee (GEC) and the National Executive Committee (NEC).
However turnout was palticularly poor in the DWP Group (some candidates won on 4 per cent of the vote) and the right wing did beat a couple of 'left' candidates. The results in the DWP Group were bad because the Left Unity GEC have run a lacklustre dispute over job cuts (and the right willg played on this).
18,000 jobs have been lost in the DWP in the last few years. The first two-day strike against this jobs slaughter only took place in January -then union negotiators were strung along for several months prior to a further twoday strike being called in May.
At the conference, the SP claimed that management are on the rack in the DWP dispute and a recent offer of new lalks snows lney were willing to make concessions.
However management have just imposed detrimental changes to HR policies in the DWP demonstrating they are stepping up attacks on the workforce. The union leadership appears willing to settle the staffing dispute if they are given a no compulsory redundancy qual alice Yet the DWP has achieved the 18,000 job cuts with only 1 compulsorv redundancv so such a deal will do little to halt job cuts.
Socialist Caucus (the left opposition to the SP within Left Unity made this point in a debate at national conference, and called for an immediate strike ballot of all PCS members on job cuts (which are having a real effect in the Ministry of Defence as well). The leadership and conference rejected this.
Similarly the DWP conference rejected Socialist Caucus resolution on the job cuts strategy that put more emphasis on selective action than the leadership's strategy. This leaves the DWP GEC to continue pursuing their current strategy against job cuts (i.e. two days strike every few months) without the support of national action across the
Both Conferences were rather flat - partly because reps appeared a little demoralised (despite The SP's attempts to talk up the DWP staffing dispute), partly because the Executives had filled the agenda with their OWIN monons, Contentious motions were relegated down the order paper.
There was a debate on national pay strategy where speakers criticised General on the Executive and Secretary Mark Serwotka for making no progress in the last six years. No national pay claim has been lodged during this time. Nevertheless the leadership won the vote easily on this.
The SP seems to have grown numerically in the union in the last few years partly because it controls the union gravy train. Its bureaucratic machine has held back the DWP dispute and the political development of the union. A SP NEC member argued again at Conference it was right that the union has a political fund that is not party political. They do not argue that the PCS should help set up a new workers party, but only seek to attract individuals inside the union to me munauve.
PAY pay dispute
George Galloway's speech at a fringe meeting was well received by delegates as he emphasised the central role that the organised working class should play in the development of RESPECT.
The SWP have decided now not to launch RESPECT fraction in PCS until later this year, possibly because they are debating the project internally A motion on the supporting an initiative like the RMT's over a new workers party was not heard.
UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis addressed national conference High spirits on the Longbenton picket line during the PCS 2004 and his speech went down like a lead balloon. However he was very enthusiastic about the major rally in London on the June 27 in support of the public sector backed by 15
At national conference, resolutions were passed opposing Islamophobia and supporting the Stop the War Committee. The union agreed to affiliate to Hands Off Venezuela.
It is clear at this stage that the Socialist Party in the PCS dare not lead a national fight over pay and job cuts. Their approach damaging the PCS and may break the Left Unity group.