Leicester City Council Event on 19 January 2011

The event was a great success with a lunchtime rally of mainly Leicester City Council workers but PCS also well represented as well as Youth Fight for Jobs and Leicestershire Against the Cuts (LAC) amongst others.

Tony Church spoke on behalf of LAC to an appreciative crowd.

It's a shame the branch does not have a banner to make our presence more visible, but the BEC are working on this.

The councils are cutting heavily and early but the civil service will not be far behind.

This really is the same fight and the Labour Movement needs to be united.

PCS is again leading the way with talks now ongoing to co-ordinate action on pensions and other issues (see the post below)

PCS to discuss action against the cuts with other unions

There is beginning to be a change in mood with people understanding what the cuts personally mean to them, their family and friends. This is the time to take advantage of that change.

The next stages of the campaign have been laid out in a bulletin issued to PCS branches today.

PCS is to follow up the massive votes by members to campaign against government cuts by meeting with other unions to discuss joint action.

PCS members voted by more than 90 percent in two ballots to oppose changes to civil service redundancy terms and to continue fighting against cuts to jobs, pensions, pay and public services.

Interested general secretaries will be talking to each other on Friday 28 January.

The 28 January meeting will also feature leaders of the National Union of Teachers and the University and College Union who have been talking about co-ordinated action over pensions.

A special meeting of the PCS national executive - after the talks with other unions –will consider the possibility of ballot for industrial action.

The ongoing campaign will include support for student demonstrations against tuition fee rises, the axing of the education maintenance allowance, and cuts to youth services – to be held in Manchester and London on Saturday 29 September.

PCS is also continuing to argue for as many members as possible to bring friends and family to attend the ‘March for the alternative’ in London on Saturday 26 March.