PCS General Secretary demands meeting with Labour leader should his party form the next government

On the day Labour has launched its manifesto, PCS General Secretary Fran Heathcote has written to Sir Keir Starmer encouraging him to work positively with the union, should Labour secure victory on 4 July. 

Current polls indicate that Labour will secure almost 40% of the vote and will form a new government in the coming weeks. Following a meeting of the union's NEC, it was agreed that an approach would be made to the Labour leader, highlighting the union's ongoing campaigning objectives relating to pay but also placing vital demands on him and his party, if they become the next majority employer for our civil service members. 

The letter acknowledges two fundamental matters for discussion; pay and the New Deal for Working People in the civil service. On pay, the letter highlights the recently published Institute for Government report which discusses "entrenched" high staff turnover and retention issues in the civil service because of decades of pay decline, and the need for a new government to prioritise the reform of civil service pay structures to tackle "pay inequality and endemic unfairness". 

On the proposed New Deal for Working People, PCS welcomes the pledge to introduce legislation within the first 100 days, setting out, however, that Labour could go further including enhanced job protections, overhauling HR systems to ensure staff with protected characteristics receive equal outcomes and a programme of civil service insourcing.

Following today’s Labour manifesto launch, and drawing on the correspondence sent ahead of its publication, Fran Heathcote said:

"It is clear that the country demands change from the shambles of the past 14 years, and with polls indicating that Labour will win, it is vital that we as a union seek a positive working relationship to ensure, should they win, that our members' concerns are a priority for ministers.

"Although we are disappointed that Labour has neglected to include any concrete policies on public sector pay within its manifesto, we hope to use our collective voice as a campaigning union to bring this to the attention of a potential future government.

"Our members deserve fair pay, job protection and access to full trade union rights, policies which should not be farfetched for a possible Labour government."