The Public and Commercial Services union is seeking to bring unions together in joint industrial action this year, to resist the Government’s anticipated cutting of public sector jobs and pay.
Delegates at the PCS annual conference in Brighton were expected this week to approve a motion calling for “closer working, joint campaigning, and organisational initiatives as a means of developing our ability to fight huge spending cuts”. The vote comes as Chancellor George Osborne prepares to announce where £6 billion of public spending cuts will fall.
The PCS has long called for co-ordinated industrial action among unions, but with limited success in recent years. However, the appetite for industrial action may be sharper this year, while the PCS is emboldened by its recent court victory over cuts to civil service redundancy pay.
PCS deputy general secretary Hugh Lanning told delegates: “The difficulties we experienced under the previous government are going to intensify, as the coalition government attempts to cut the budget deficit by slashing jobs and public services.”
Calling for unions to exploit “divisions and political tensions” in the Tory-Lib Dem coalition, he added: “The trade union and wider social movement needs to be united against the threatened cuts.”
Tribune understands that several major unions have engaged in top-level discussions to assess their willingness to co-ordinate industrial action, while PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka received a standing ovation at the National Union of Teachers conference last month when he called for joint action.
Delegates also considered a motion calling for plans to stand trade union candidates in elections against the mainstream parties.
