PCS legal win - build further pressure from below to defeat the Tories

PCS members on strike, photo Paul Mattsson (Click to enlarge)

The PCS civil service union has won Ł3 million in damages following the union's challenge to the attempts by the Tory government to cut off its financial support from the DWP.

This follows the victory in the High Court in May 2016 when it was ruled that it was unlawful to have removed check-off (the union's ability to collect subscriptions directly from pay packets). Katrine Williams, a member of the PCS national executive committee and also a Socialist Party member, was one of the two union members who brought the legal challenge back then.

The work of the national union, the national executive committee and, most importantly, the tremendous work of reps on the ground in rebuilding the union when the Tories removed the ability of PCS to collect membership subs, was brilliant.

This work - to re-recruit 160,000 members onto direct debit - meant that the union emerged from this battle in a stronger position.

The key now is to turn this latest victory into one that fully compensates the union for the attacks waged on all government departments and arms-length bodies across PCS, not just the DWP.

The Chris Baugh for Assistant General Secretary campaign, which the Socialist Party supports, believes it's now vital to involve groups and lay representatives in discussions on submitting those legal challenges and how we can back this up with pressure from below.

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