A disgraceful attempt is being made to overturn the election of the new PCS General Secretary Mark Serwotka. The outgoing General Secretary Barry Reamsbottom is leading it with the full support of Right Wing so called “Moderates” and some support from the Inland Revenue based Membership First faction on the unions National Executive Committee. If this attack on our unions democracy is not stopped it will mean that Reamsbottom will stay in the job and Mark Serwotka will be prevented from doing the job that PCS members democratically elected him to do.

THIS AFFECTS YOU
To some union members these events might seem dry and irrelevant to the problems that you face every day at work. But this is not just a case of six of one and half a dozen of the other political in fighting at the top of the union. This is a very serious attack on our union’s democracy. The outcome will affect you and your job, because it will affect whether PCS becomes a union which champions the need for better pay and conditions, or one whose voice is weakened by being to close to the Government.

MARK SERWOTKA ELECTED
To fully appreciate why this is such a fundamental attack on union democracy it is important to remember the background.

In May 2000 the PCS conference voted to change the union’s rules so that we could have an election for a new General Secretary.

In the Summer of 2000 PCS members voted in a ballot by 62751 votes to 2178 votes to endorse this proposal and to have a General Secretary election.

In October 2000 Mark Serwotka won that General Secretary election by 42000 votes to 34000 votes.

Barry Reamsbottom did not even stand in the election.

In December 2000 Barry Reamsbottom signed a legally binding agreement with PCS that he would leave office as the outgoing General Secretary on 1st June 2002 including a financial compensation package up to his normal retirement age in 2004.

This agreement also included details, which have applied since then, of how Mark Serwotka and Barry Reamsbottom would share the work of General Secretary until 1st June 2002.

Only two weeks ago the 2002 PCS conference voted virtually unanimously to endorse this agreement and that Barry Reamsbottom should leave on 1st June.

ATTEMPT TO OVERTURN ELECTION RESULT
At no time during the past two years has Reamsbottom ever tried to question or challenge any of these events. Yet now he claims to have legal advice that the election of Mark Serwotka was unlawful. The only thing that has changed is that his Right Wing supporters got a narrow majority in the unions recent National Executive Committee elections. Allegations of unfair election practices against them, involving the misuse of the PCS membership computer database to send election leaflets to members ballot addresses are still being investigated. The job of the NEC is to get better pay and conditions for you but they have chosen instead to spend their time trying to overturn the democratic election of Mark Serwotka.
PRESIDENT EXCLUDED
All of this took place when Barry Reamsbottom attempted to call an NEC meeting at less then 48 hours notice. The newly elected union President Janice Godrich made a statement on legal advice that the meeting was in breach of the union rules because of the short notice and because she had not been consulted about the agenda. Only two minutes before the meeting was due to start Reamsbottom gave out a paper recommending that the election of Mark Serwotka be overturned and the he should remain in post. The Right Wing ignored the union President and vote to overturn the election of Mark. They also voted to remove the newly elected PCS President Janice Godrich from all of the unions committees.

TIME FOR A CHANGE
Mark was elected because he promised in his election statement that he was committed to:

A campaign for an end to the wide variations in pay and a return to national pay bargaining and decent pay for all PCS members.
A campaign against privatisation.
A campaign for improved staffing levels and conditions for all PCS members.
Not taking the full salary of the General Secretary post. Since being elected Mark has given back £1000 of the General Secretary salary every month to the union campaign fund.
Barry Reamsbottom has been at the top of our union throughout the past decade and he has done nothing to protect PCS members from low pay increases, staffing cuts and privatisation. When PCS members voted for Mark they voted for a change.

SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN
It is easy to understand why some PCS members might be put off the union by these antics. But the truth is that the union belongs you to the members and if everyone joins together to say no to this attack on our union democracy then in the end the PCS will become a much better and stronger union. PCS HQ has been inundated with fax and email protests condemning what has happened. A massively broad based campaign involving union activists and members from all parts of the union, all grades and all shades of political opinion is spontaneously forming to make sure that this attempted coup d’etat is stopped. Mark and Janice Godrich are taking further legal advice but a campaign of opposition by Branches and members is vital. Your local PCS reps will let you know about local meetings or petitions and how you can send your own protest to Barry Reamsbottom.

PLEASE GIVE THIS CAMPAIGN YOUR SUPPORT AND DEMAND THAT
The employment of the former General Secretary Barry Reamsbottom with PCS end on 31st May.
That the elected General Secretary Mark Serwotka takes up office on the 1st June.
That Janice Godrich be recognised as the President of the PCS and that she exercise the powers of that post.