Public and Commercial Services Union

Background

Branches will be aware of our previous successful Make Your Vote Count (MYVC) campaigns.

MYVC allows us to raise our industrial issues as part of our ongoing national campaign with candidates standing in elections and publish their responses to our members so that they can consider them before they decide who to vote for.

We intend to run the campaign again this year to raise our issues in the forthcoming Scottish, Welsh and English local elections and also the GLA and mayoral elections taking place in London.

We also intend to pilot a new constituency- based approach that will allow us to meet with MPs on a more regular basis and be more effective in our campaigns.

Campaign materials for MYVC will be produced and distributed to branches to enable activists to deliver the activities below and they will also be available on these pages.

This briefing marks the start of the campaign and details actions we want branches to take.

Register to vote

It is crucial that all PCS members are registered to vote and that they use their vote to make the MYVC campaign successful. Therefore we ask branches to encourage members, potential members and their friends and families to register to vote. The deadline to register to vote for all elections is 18 April.

Branch co-ordinators

The elections are taking place on 3 May so branches are being urgently asked to appoint a branch MYVC co-ordinator who will:

• work with other branches in the locality to identify what elections are taking place and which ones provide the best opportunities to intervene in
• work with other branches to identify local issues to raise with candidates
• work with other branches in the locality to identify what resources branches have to ‘challenge the candidates’ and work together where possible
• organise lobbying sessions with local politicians – work with your branch organiser to ensure as many members and potential members participate
• identify candidates and issue the challenge to them through letters, emails and candidates question time events
• publicise the responses from candidates to members
• feedback progress on the campaign at regular intervals to the regional/national MYVC campaign co-ordinator, including information on the elected candidates and what support they have agreed to offer our national campaign
• attend training, plan activities and distribute materials to support the political representation ballot

Branch co-ordinators have a vital role to play in order to make the campaign a success.

Once the branch co-ordinator is in place please can branches pass their details to the regional/national MYVC campaign co-ordinator whose details are below.

Specific training/planning sessions for branch MYVC co-ordinators will be arranged and held in regional/national offices and will give co-ordinators the skills and confidence to run the campaign locally.

Details of regional co-ordinators

Activity

The NEC have agreed four pledges that we will be asking candidates standing in the elections to support.

The pledges will be tailored to the specific elections taking place but are generally around our current national campaign themes and can be found on our website.

The leaders of the main Westminster parties have been asked to support our pledges. Their responses when received will be published on our website.

English, Welsh and Scottish local elections

32 Scottish and 21 Welsh councils are up for election in 2012, along with 128 council elections across England and the election for the London Assembly and Mayor.

Each party leader for every council where elections are taking place should be asked to support our pledges and the responses will be published on our website. Each region will also select at least one council to focus on and challenge all the candidates standing for election and hold a question time meeting.

This council will be selected based on where there are significant issues for cuts to jobs and public services; whether there are local activists to take the campaign forward; past MYVC activity where candidates engaged in our campaign and this is a chance to hold them to account; where the far right are presenting a significant electoral threat; or where the particular political targets are present.

Candidates’ question time meetings

You can get guidance on holding these events from your regional/national office.

Funding to hold the events will be provided, but must be agreed by the head of campaigns, Laura Cockram – myvc@pcs.org.uk or 020 7801 2820 because we have to legally report any expenditure for question time events to the electoral commission.

Anti-racist/anti-fascist activity in the elections

The BNP and the British Freedom Party are likely to pose a threat in some seats and anti-fascist work will take place where there is a high profile threat from the far right in an individual area.

Where this arises branches should work with their regional/national MYVC co-ordinator and other organisations such as Unite Against Fascism, Hope not Hate, Love Music Hate Racism and local groups to expose the racist policies of the BNP, ensure our issues are raised as part of the election and encourage as many members and their friends and families to vote to stop the BNP from wining.

Action points

As a matter of urgency branches should:

• Encourage members in your branch and your friends and families to register to vote
• Appoint a branch MYVC co-ordinator and inform your regional/national MYVC co-ordinator who it is so they are provided with details of other co-ordinators to work with, training courses/planning sessions and provided support throughout the campaign.

From March onwards branches should:

• Work with regional/national committees to identify target councils/areas and start planning letter writing/email activities and a candidates’ question time event
• Feed in any local industrial issues to your regional/national MYVC co-ordinator to ensure candidates are challenged on the issues of concern to us
• Display PCS materials in workplaces and if appropriate at home

From late March onwards branches should:

• Encourage members to visit the PCS website to see how the party leaders have responded to our pledges and also what their local candidates have said
• Attend any events organised in your local areas
   

Political representation ballot

In June a membership ballot will be held on our political campaigning. The ballot will seek support for MYVC, our political lobbying work, and for the proposal, endorsed by ADC, that we should stand or support candidates in elections in exceptional circumstances where no other candidate supports PCS's policies and an intervention in an election would further our campaigns to defend members' jobs, pay, pensions, and public services.

Mark Serwotka
General Secretary

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This was issued to all branches as BB/14/12 on 30 January 2012