Mark Serwotka
Encyclopedia
Mark Serwotka is General Secretary
of the Public and Commercial Services Union
(PCS), the trade union for British civil servants.
, Wales
, he was adopted by a Polish British
father and a Welsh
mother.
, and started work as a benefits clerk, joining the union on the first day.
In the 2000 election that saw Serwotka elected General Secretary, he initially faced two rival candidates: Hugh Lanning of the Membership First faction and the incumbent Barry Reamsbottom of the National Moderate Group. However, Reamsbottom did not secure the fifty branch nominations needed to appear on the ballot paper. Serwotka then beat Lanning with 41,000 to 33,000 votes. Following Serwotka's election, Reamsbottom refused to step down when his term of office expired, citing what he claimed were legal irregularities in the election process. The dispute was taken to the High Court
where Serwotka won and subsequently assumed office. In December 2009, Serwotka was re-elected for a five-year term, gaining 37,866 votes against Rob Bryson's 21,883.
In 2010 he received £88,675 in salary as well as a hypocritical £26,159 in pension contributions and a £474 additional housing cost allowance. In 2011, pay for Serwotka and other senior PCS officials was frozen.
in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was later a supporter of the Socialist Alliance
and then Respect.
fan and lives in Chipstead, Surrey.
Ahead of a visit by Pope Benedict XVI
in September 2010, Serwotka was named as one of the hundred most influential Catholics in Britain by The Tablet
.
General Secretary
The office of general secretary is staffed by the chief officer of:*The General Secretariat for Macedonia and Thrace, a government agency for the Greek regions of Macedonia and Thrace...
of the Public and Commercial Services Union
Public and Commercial Services Union
The Public and Commercial Services Union is the sixth largest trade union in the United Kingdom. Most of its members work in government departments and other public bodies although some work for private companies.- Membership and organisation :...
(PCS), the trade union for British civil servants.
Early life
Born into a Catholic orphanage in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, he was adopted by a Polish British
Polish British
Polish migration to the United Kingdom describes the temporary or permanent migration of Poles to the United Kingdom . Most Polish migrants to the UK emigrated after two major events, the Polish Resettlement Act 1947 and the 2004 enlargement of the European Union...
father and a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
mother.
Career
Aged sixteen, he joined the Civil ServiceCivil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
, and started work as a benefits clerk, joining the union on the first day.
Election as General Secretary
Serwotka became a union representative in 1980, and became a personal case officer in 1995.In the 2000 election that saw Serwotka elected General Secretary, he initially faced two rival candidates: Hugh Lanning of the Membership First faction and the incumbent Barry Reamsbottom of the National Moderate Group. However, Reamsbottom did not secure the fifty branch nominations needed to appear on the ballot paper. Serwotka then beat Lanning with 41,000 to 33,000 votes. Following Serwotka's election, Reamsbottom refused to step down when his term of office expired, citing what he claimed were legal irregularities in the election process. The dispute was taken to the High Court
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
where Serwotka won and subsequently assumed office. In December 2009, Serwotka was re-elected for a five-year term, gaining 37,866 votes against Rob Bryson's 21,883.
In 2010 he received £88,675 in salary as well as a hypocritical £26,159 in pension contributions and a £474 additional housing cost allowance. In 2011, pay for Serwotka and other senior PCS officials was frozen.
Political views
Serwotka was a member of Socialist OrganiserAlliance for Workers' Liberty
The Alliance for Workers' Liberty , also known as Workers' Liberty, is a Trotskyist group in Britain. The group has a complex history but has always been identified with the theorist Sean Matgamna...
in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was later a supporter of the Socialist Alliance
Socialist Alliance (England)
The Socialist Alliance was a left-wing electoral alliance in England between 1992 and 2005.In late 2005, a small group reformed with the name "Socialist Alliance", with a mutual affiliation with the larger Alliance for Green Socialism.-Origins:...
and then Respect.
Personal life
Married, Serwotka is an avid Cardiff CityCardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
fan and lives in Chipstead, Surrey.
Ahead of a visit by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
in September 2010, Serwotka was named as one of the hundred most influential Catholics in Britain by The Tablet
The Tablet
The Tablet is a Catholic international weekly review published in London. Contributors to its pages have included Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Paul VI ....
.
External links
- PCS Press release on the court case
- Godrich and Serwotka versus Public and Commercial Services Union and Reamsbottom
- Labournet on the dispute
- Article from the New Statesman
- Mark Serwotka on HARDtalk (Video) - Part 1 18.08.2008
- Mark Serwotka on HARDtalk (Video) - Part 2 18.08.2008
- BBC Radio 4: Profile: Mark Serwotka (podcast mp3 file)