Public and Commercial Services Union
Encyclopedia
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) 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

The union was founded in 1998 by the merger of the Public Services, Tax and Commerce Union
Public Services, Tax and Commerce Union
The Public Services, Tax and Commerce Union was a short-lived trade union in the United Kingdom.The union was formed in January 1996, when the Inland Revenue Staff Federation merged with the National Union of Civil and Public Servants...

 (which mostly represented the executive 'managerial' grades of the Civil Service) and the Civil and Public Services Association
Civil and Public Services Association
The Civil and Public Services Association was a trade union in the United Kingdom, representing civil servants.The union was founded in 1921, when the Civil Service Clerical Union and the Clerical Officers' Association merged to form the Civil Service Clerical Association. It affiliated with the...

 (mostly representing the administrative grades).

The union has over 250,000 members and is the largest trade union representing civil servants in the UK. Its current general secretary is Mark Serwotka
Mark Serwotka
Mark Serwotka , is General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union , the trade union for British civil servants.-Early life:Born into a Catholic orphanage in Cardiff, Wales, he was adopted by a Polish British father and a Welsh mother....

.

PCS is organised into groups that deal with different bargaining units such as Revenue and Customs, Department for Work and Pensions and Law and Justice.

Strikes involving PCS members

In November 2004, PCS workers across government departments undertook a one-day strike in protest against government plans to cut the Civil Service by 20%. This action was followed by further one-day strikes on 31 January and 1 May 2007.

On 8 March 2010, 270,000 civil servants began a 48 hour strike, over government changes to redundancy payments.

The union voted for a one-day strike on 30 June 2011.
There were stints of hour strikes during the summer months of 2011 but these were not full walk outs.

A further strike was voted for by members for November 30th over the Governments Pensions Robbery of Public Sector workers. More than 10 unions could be involved in strikes in November, with industrial action continuing into 2012 if the dispute is not resolved. A quote from PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka: "Stop this outlandish attack on working people"

Equality Networks

PCS has a network for young members (aged 27 and under).

PCS has a network for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender members.

PCS has a network for associate and retired members.

External links

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