Katrine Williams, vice-president PCS DWP group (personal capacity)

Nominations for the PCS union general secretary election closed on 14 October, and details of branch nominations have now been published.

Socialist Party member Marion Lloyd received 39 nominations from all parts of the union. Incumbent general secretary Mark Serwotka received 62 nominations and Bev Laidlaw 17.

From the nominations, both in terms of the number and spread across the union’s groups, it is clear that Marion Lloyd is the candidate best placed to challenge Serwotka. Her nominations reflect a mood in the union for a fresh approach – a leadership that gives members the confidence and the means to fight on the issues that matter to them.

We call upon activists to unite behind Marion’s candidacy for a union democratically controlled through its elected lay structures, and a leadership which will actively coordinate across the union our fight on pay, jobs, pensions and office closures.

Support Marion Lloyd for PCS general secretary!

BEIS strikers joined on the picket line by socialist PCS general secretary election candidate Marion Lloyd (right), photo Paula Mitchell, photo Paula Mitchell

BEIS strikers joined on the picket line by socialist PCS general secretary election candidate Marion Lloyd (right), photo Paula Mitchell, photo Paula Mitchell   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Marion hailed the tremendous victory of her outsourced members in BEIS, working for ISS who have now won the London living wage just as those working for Aramark did recently.

“As BEIS group president, I’m again immensely proud of my members and the branch reps. Two victories in a few weeks after these low-paid workers took indefinite strike action shows what can be achieved. It confirms that we can attract outsourced workers into PCS and link them with members who are directly employed, with the demand that these workers are brought in-house.”