Darren Williams (Branch Secretary, POS ONS Newport, personal capacity) ELECTIONS are about to take place for the National Executive Committee (NEC) of Britain's newest - and sixth biggest -The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) came into being on 10 Marchl following the merger of CPSA and PTC. With 250,000 members, POS represents the vast majority of trade union members in the civil service, covering all grades from low-paid clerical and support staff to middle-management.
Clearly such an organisation could potentially be a formidable force, capable of ending and beginning to reverse the long series of defeats inflicted on civil servants since 1979. The record of inept and treacherous leadership in the civil service unions suggests, however, that any such advantages are likely to be squandered unless there is a complete change of political direction.
The potential for a militant stand by civil service workers was demonstrated in the final months of the last Labour Government.
sustained of national industrial action by CPSA and the SCPS (an ancestor of PTC) forced the Government to back down from its incomes policy and honour previous the real value of civil service pay.
As the Thatcher govcrument went on the offensive against both the public sector and the trade unions as such, however, the response was less than resolute.
Throughout the 1980s control of CPSA's NEC alternated almost annually between the right-wing National Moderate Group and the Militant-led Broad Left The latter's defiant words were not always translated into deeds when the opportunity arose, while the Moderates renounced industrial action altogether as the preserve of unrepresentative The Civil Associ: Will new union use its strength? extremists, preferring instead to rely on polite lobbying.
After 1988 the uninterrupted control by the right-wing ensured the consistent sell-out of members' interests, as the Government's onslaught intensified. Tens of thousands of jobs were CHIL Some departments - like HMSO - were sold off altogether while others experienced partial privatisation of services, by means of market testing, COtracting-out and PFI.
Performance-related pay was gradually introduced, steadily encroaching upon - and finally replacing, altogether cost-of-living increases.
National pay bargaining was abolished altogether in 1996, eliminating the possibility of legal industrial action across the civil service in defence of pay. This provoked barely a protest from the right-wing leaders of CPSA and PTC, despite the dire need for a determined campaign in defence of members' living standard following the introduction of the public sector pay freeze.
The continuation of such treacherous policies was facilitated by the bureaucracy's blatant disregard for conference decisions, persistent lying to members, and general abuse of the union machine. When the constitution of the merged union was written last year, activists were disgusted to find that it was designed to institutionalise bureaucratic privilege, and prevent members from holding their elected leaders to account. In defiance of both CPSA and PTC conference policy, elections and conferences were made biennial, a legion of officials were given well-paid jobs for life, and major decisions were to be made by easily stitched- up referenda.
Unfortunately, the Left has proven somewhat wanting in presenting a clear alternative. The Militant-led broad Left has maintained a resilient opposition to the right-wing and has been relatively open and democratic, in comparison to other union left. It has however relied far too heavily on electoral tactics, throwing its energies into winning control of key positions, and slipping back into relative inactivity once the election and conference season was over.
The smaller Socialist Caucus has the best record for campaigning among rank-and-file members. It has recently organised a cross-departmental forum in London to co-ordinate pay claims, helping to plug the gap left by both the bureaucracy and the established left leadership.
The unification, since the merger, of all the CPSA/PTC left groups under the banner of Left Unity has potentially created the basis for a strong challenge for control of the new union. While the initial signs are promising, it remains to be seen whether the left will provide clear arid consistent leadership, or slip into its old electoralist habits.
PCS members should support the Left Unity slate in the May NEC elections, and should build the Left Unity group to ensure that it functions as a full-time organised leadership for all those civil servants who are sick and tired of being walked over by departmental Management and by the government. They should demand that Left Unity makes the following its priority: * fight for action in pursuit of pay clams, building solidarity outside individual departments; * prepare for united campaigns with other public sector unions,
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