Time to rally together to deliver ballot result for members
In her latest blog for activist magazine Activate, Fran explains how it's vital that activists engage members and encourage them to vote “Yes” in the ongoing national ballot.
We’re just over halfway in our statutory ballot and as we get nearer to it closing, we need our activists to keep up the hard work of talking to members and getting as many of them to vote as possible.
It’s crucial we maximise the turnout and beat the thresholds so we can strengthen our negotiating hand. So engaging members and encouraging them to vote “Yes” will send a strong message to the government that we’re ready to build on the gains we made as a result of last year’s strike action.
I want to thank the brilliant work our activists have done since the ballot opened at the beginning of March. After we launched the temperature test of members at the start of the year, we moved quickly to this statutory ballot and you’ve more than stepped up to the task.
We had a brilliant turnout at our Super Saturday event last weekend, where we were able to reach out to members who have told us they haven’t voted yet. Another Super Saturday is being held on April 27 so keep an eye out for further details.
Events like Super Saturday are so important because having information on who has and hasn’t voted allows us to target resources in areas that need it most. That’s why our innovative organising tools like CallHub and PCS Digital are vital and we’re strongly encouraging you to use them.
In these final weeks, let’s use the determination of our members on strike as inspiration. In the long-running strike at the Pensions Regulator in Brighton, strike action has been suspended for talks with the employer, a welcome step forward in what has been a very long-running dispute. I visited them on my first day as your new general secretary and was impressed by the resolve of those on the busy picket line.
And at the National Museums Liverpool, members are due to enter their 60th day of strike action. They have the whole of PCS behind them and just like our members on strike in Brighton, we will stay the course for as long as it takes.
What these disputes and our national campaign from last year show is that our strategy is working and delivering for members. As our national campaign enters this critical new phase, we need you to keep engaging with members to encourage them to vote Yes before the ballot closes on May 13.
Around the same time as our national ballot closing, the national executive committee elections (NEC) will also close. PCS prides itself on being a democratic union and this is the members’ opportunity to have their say on who leads them. Just like the national ballot, NEC elections are held by postal vote only, so make sure you get your ballot paper sent off before it closes on 9 May.
Our track record of winning for our members speaks for itself, so let’s all rally together during this important time and deliver the result our members deserve.