As 'Socialist Appeal' goes to press, members of PCS, which represents over 300,000 workers in the civil service and associated bodies, are awaiting the full details of the agreement reached between the civil service unions and the government via the Cabinet Office.

The agreement was the outcome of over 5 months of talks on the demands advanced by PCS in the national dispute on job cuts, privatisation and fair pay. Having previously refused any meaningful dialogue with the union, talks were offered following a ballot to escalate industrial action last autumn. These were supposed to conclude by the end of the year but have dragged on.

Much time had elapsed since the last national civil service strike on 1 May. The potential for public-sector wide industrial action had dissipated as the Labour-affiliated unions capitulated in the face of a possible snap-election poll for Gordon Brown. This writer was indeed a little cynical, a view shared by many PCS activists at the time. What could we possibly get from this government that was worth talking about, in these circumstances? Where was the national action from PCS, which in the absence of the other unions, would have the strength and courage to go it alone for the time being?

Protocols

Protocols will make it harder to make a civil servant compulsorily redundant. But what is important is that our employer is held to them. There is no doubt that the prospect of redundancies being handed out like confetti have been held off. Following the cynical electioneering of 2004, when to placate the right-wing media the Tories and New Labour engaged in an auction in which party would sack the most civil servants, over 100,000 were earmarked for the high-jump.

But the civil service is not a very nice place to work and voluntary packages are being snapped up by the staff, who take their skills and experience with them. They don't take their work which, despite what New Labour and the friends in the 'Daily Mail' and the 'Sun' might have you believe, still needs to be done to deliver essential services to the public. This adds to the strain, stress and sickness of those who have to pick up the extra work.

Inflation

While having to contend with the threat of further job cuts as budgets are set to reduce year-on-year civil servants receive below inflation pay rises. A quarter earn less than £15,400 and in some areas action had to be taken to ensure compliance with minimum wage legislation! As previously reported here, 40 % of workers in the department responsible for job centres got 0 % this year as a result of the 2 % cap - when inflation has been nearer to 5 %. And final salary pensions are only as good as what you earn and it's not surprising that the average is under £5,000. Departments find themselves having to draft in employment agency workers to shift the work as the 'headcount targets' are not grounded in any other reality than the need to satisfy the gutter press.

In-house bids

Although not as strong as we would have liked, the agreement on privatisation is to be welcomed. Government contracts may to be subjected to in-house bids but if they are not an explanation should be provided to those concerned, including the unions. This means PCS can hold the employer to account on the basis of value for money for the taxpayer, which is inseparably linked to the defence of our jobs and terms and conditions. This particularly important with nightmare scenarios such as Job Centres being run by charities (next thing they will be bringing back the poor house) or other private sector bodies.

However, ultimately the only thing that will stop these things happening is industrial action and members' preparedness to take it on a sufficient scale. PCS members have shown time and time again their willingness to deliver from the poorest members in DWP who have taken some 20 days action in the last 3 years to other areas where pay and conditions are relatively better.

So whether government departments will stick to the agreement, if endorsed by conference and then by members in a ballot later this year, remains to be seen and the national union must be ready to call national strike action if they do not.

Pay

The real sticking point is pay. I have touched on the low pay of many PCS members and the rise in the cost of living is hitting hard. Pay disputes are breaking out across PCS and strike action is taking place in many areas including Department for Transport and Coastguards. The union is calling for coordination where possible across PCS and with the teachers' union, NUT.

There will be a significant number of PCS members out with the NUT on 24 April, but a national strike would have massively strengthened teachers, civil servants and others in the public sector in our fight to secure a fair pay settlement. Militancy pays and this the only way we can break the 2 % pay cap.