By a PCS rep
CIVIL SERVANTS in the PCS union are voting in a national statutory ballot for strikes and action short of strikes across 138 employers. The dispute covers pay, job security, pensions, hybrid working and other terms and conditions, in the face of a 3.5% pay remit that will not keep pace with the cost of living. Conference policy agreed in May commits the union to fight for 10% for all members.
This is the union’s first national ballot since the Employment Rights Act 2025 allowed electronic voting, which closes at noon on Tuesday 1 December.
May’s conference passed motion A375, against Left Unity opposition, instructing the NEC to launch this campaign. Any action that follows would be the first national strike since Left Unity, which has since lost the leadership of the union, sold out the 2023 pay strikes for a one-off £1,500 payment that did nothing to tackle the long term decline of real wages in the civil service.
Getting the vote out is not just about beating the 50% threshold. Every conversation with a member is a chance to do the essential work of getting strike-ready: holding workplace meetings, recruiting reps and laying the foundations of a rank-and-file campaign ready to take the strike action needed to win.
