PCS: How not to run a dispute (Updated already!)

The PCS union has been planning a half-day strike on April 5th for some time now. The general idea was that all members would walk out at 1:00pm in protest against the increase in Pensions contributions that will take effect this month. It is also part of the far-lefts overt desire to launch a "General Strike" utilising PCS members as their "shock troops".

As previously reported a whole range of problems have arisen. UPDATE:

PCS have had to call off the proposed action for all Home Office except IPS and PEO members on the 8th - not got details yet, but understand that a management global has already gone out to Border Force (all members at ports) saying PCS withdrawn all action between 5th and 8th.

Metropolitan Police Service workers will not be striking at all due to Management threatening to do the same as the Home Office and deduct a whole days pay. It is not known why the MPS members were not called out for the whole day like their counterparts in the UKBA.

It doesn't end there though. Most PCS members work "Flexi Time" which means some start work at 7:30 and will have more or less completed a full-days work by the time they are called out, but will also lose half days pay even though they may only actually be out for an hour or so.

So to summarise a National Strike is now taking place at different times in different Departments and for different periods of time and lose pay...differently? That's the gist of it. Farcical.

Now the union are taking legal advice about a number of issues relating to the Home Office and Met Police Service but are also awaiting further guidance on the pay issues in the DWP, with probably similar issues arising in other departments.

With all these issues now in play you'd think the comrades would sit back, think about what they are doing and perhaps re-arrange the dispute, say to being an hours walk out in the morning so everyone could walk out at the same time. If they want to. There's a distinct lack of enthusiasm across many offices.

PCS is in a mess because the leadership around Mark Serwotka, the Socialist Party and the SWP are not pursuing a trade union orientated strike. Its' quite clear from the propaganda that is produced in the pages of their newspapers what the real purpose of all this is. Socialist Party hack Paula Mitchell claims that:

Everyone I spoke to thinks there should be a one-day general strike and agreed with the National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) lobby of the TUC general council on 24 April that has been called to urge the TUC to name the date for a general strike.

While PCS Vice President John McInally is (laughably) "interviewed" in his own this weeks paper where he states:


I strongly support the National Shop Stewards Network lobby of the TUC on 24 April, calling on it to name the day for a 24-hour general strike.

The TUC's policy for joint coordinated action was moved by the PCS, that's been our position for a number of years now.

An advert for the National Shop Stewards Movement (another name for the SP)lobby of the TUC on April 24th appears at the end of his article interview.

The last "lobby" attracted a grand total of under a hundred people who were entertained by PCS President Janice Godrich (also a member of the Socialist Party) ranting against the TUC leadership. Then as now the conditions do not exist for any kind of general Strike what-so-ever. The "comrades" probably realise that as well, but  recruitment opportunities like this cannot be missed, especially with the SWP disgraced and on the side-lines.

The artificially constructed dispute being foisted on PCS members could have been avoided a long time ago but the entrenchment of the far-left in the union has led to disaster. Mistakes like the pre-Olympic Games threat just backfired and continue to threaten the very existence of unions in the civil service, handing the Tories an excuse on a plate to go after us.

Its quite clear the current dispute will not achieve anything and the union looks even more foolish than when it started. Members will only take so much and that point can be seen lurking on the horizon.

One thing is clear, "the farce is strong" in Mark Serwotka and John McInally, but Jedi's are they not.