PCS to launch new civil service ballots

Our current 6-month legal mandate for strike action in 124 groups expires on 6 May, so to continue our industrial action campaign our national executive committee has today agreed we need to ballot members again. The new postal ballots run from 20 March until 9 May. The levy of members, which supports those taking strategic action, will remain in place for the duration of the dispute.

See the list of who is being balloted.

Clear signal to government

PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka said: “We’re sending a very clear signal to ministers that we’re not backing down in the pursuit of a fair deal for our members.

“The pressure is building on ministers. They’re being forced to talk to us, to listen to our concerns, and they now know we’re looking at escalating our strike action beyond May, unless they make concessions.

“Our members deserve a fair pay rise and we will not stop our campaign until ministers put money on the table.”

Successful campaign

Our members and reps have turned out in their thousands delivering a hugely successful campaign of strategic strike action so far, and we will need them to show that energy, enthusiasm and dedication to deliver a huge yes vote for more action across the civil service and public sector. Our strategy has enabled us to call more industrial action than at any other time in our union’s history. It is also the most hard-hitting action we have ever called.

Action has been called across the union, most recently at the Border Force, DVLA, DWP, DVSA and British Museum, and it has been brilliantly supported and workers have flocked to join PCS. We have had an enormous amount of media coverage which has added to the pressure on the employer. It is clear that our strategy has the employer worried, that it has forced them to engage in negotiations and that they are beginning to shift their position.

Keep the pressure up

You can help keep up the pressure on the government by joining in with strike action and attending the picket line when action is called where you work and taking part when 100,000 members walk out on 15 March. We are aiming to have 1,000 picket lines on 15 March and we need members’ help to make that happen.

And we need members to get involved in their union and recruit new members ahead of the new ballots. And once the postal ballots are underway we need all members involved to vote and post their ballot papers.

Employers where members are currently being balloted will not be included in these latest ballots. If, as hoped, they pass the 50% legal strike threshold their mandate will run until 26 August.