conference floor. This will The conference of Britain's main civil scrvice union, has rassment for the NEC, domi. committed the leadership to nated Base key cements of the right-wing factions, Membership First and the gramme. CUTO National Moderate Group.
The biennial delegate con- cicctions. concluded just before conferterence of the Public Commercial Services Union ence. left the right-wing in (PCS), meeting in Blackpool, control, which means conpassed a number of strongly- stant pressure from activists worded motions, opposing will be required to prevent conference decisions being New Labour's continuation of Tory policies on privatisation, performance-related Gains pay and acicratco nexota- The main opposition, Left tions, as well as on current Unity, made modest but sig issues of scapegoating of asylum-seek- nificant gains. however Wane one one our ve and a further The National Executive our scats on the committee instructed actively to pursue first PCS NEC elections in 1998, the return of pas Left Unity Stalled to win 3 ments covering the whole single seat. On that occasion civil service; launch a it stood a joint slate with the paign against privatisation; ex-PTC Unity group, a stalinist-led faction. This time, Unity refused to attempts drive down levels sickness agree to the terms on oller for a joint slate and the two groups helded rival candiMotions on these and many the Executive other issues, moved by leftsectien of the NEC. overwhelming majorities, formance, Left Unity improved its ner while Unity lost with only token opposition two of the three NEC seats it had held.
Morcover, Left Unity castly swept the board in the block Yure Ceons once a conference, to choose PCS delegations to the TUC and TC4ICI DOUS Left Unity should give up attempting to bring Unity which electively supported the of Membership First's Peter Donnellan National President, into a broader Units quently allied itself with the right-wing and refused to organise members to challenge management's attacks Although NEC ICTE members are a small minority in the 46-member body, they may have some room for manoeuvre, thanks to the relations factions, cach of which holds nineteen seats. Personal rivalries have aggravated the slender politMembership First narrowly secured NEC support for a ousting the Moderate Joint General Secretary, ( Barry Former CPSA boss Reamsbottom currently shares power with John Sheldon, his counterpart in NUCPS] and then PTC. Sheldon is about to retire leaving the reactionary and vindictive Reamsbottom in Sic charge Under the terms of the merger, he did not have to face re-clection because he was within five years of retirement. Conference has now overturned this by agreeing a rule change that brings the election forward "not later than December 2000"
Membership First have already lined up their candidate. Hush Lanning. who is currently Assistant General secretary. Worryingly, that Left Unity are willing to allow Lanning a clear against Keamsbottom, fearing that a left candidate will This is dangerous: Lanning's policies would do more to aavance bers interests Reamsbottom's.
lo support mis cicction would make the left complicit in a bureau.
stitch-up, made by the CPSA Broad Left in support. ins Alistair Graham, who subsequently them. activists should fight to ensure than a Leil Unity candsdate stands The Socialist Caucus has made the positive proposal of for National Pay. This seeks to address one of the greatest injustices facing civil servants: the increasing diverscace of pay and grading systems since national pay ended in 1996. which seei differences of thousands of pounds in the wages of peodifferent departments.
Strategy
The Campaign's strategy involves lodging equal pay Employr ent Tribunals - on the basis that the Crown is the employer of all civil servants, and that work of equal value should reward, department involved.
This is to be combined with co-ordination of pay Groups in different departments, preparing members the issue. By reaching out to the branches in this wallng the national leadership to act, and by concentrating on a all members, the campaign has the potential to begin rebuilding the left.
An emergency motion call. ing for a conference of memand the Employment Service was carried, despite the fact that the bureaucracy wanted to leave these concerns to an He scene comin tee, with members having no chance for a say until a new merged agency was already in place.
The conference will help to ensure that members conaddressed demoto have any influence; this is all the more important since government is planning to privatise the new agency.
Whether or not such fears are founded, the concentratotal membership in a single body is a major development, creating toe porcatal or a strong and militant Group in the forefront of the union's The left must ensure that this potential fully
Outlook