The union was founded in 1998 by the merger of the Public Services, Tax and Commerce Union (which mostly represented the executive grades of the Civil Service) and the Civil and Public Services Association (mostly representing the clerical grades). The General Secretaries of the two unions, John Sheldon and Barry Reamsbottom respectively, became Joint General Secretaries of the new union. In 2000, Mark Serwotka was elected General Secretary[3] and held the position until his retirement on 31 January 2024: he was elected unopposed in 2005 (no other candidate received enough valid nominations from PCS branches); he was re-elected in 2009 for a five-year term, and in 2014 was re-elected for a further five years.[4]
In 2018, the union won £3 million in damages from the Department for Work and Pensions,[5] after a legal challenge against the withdrawal of the "check off" system of paying union subscriptions.
Fran Heathcote was elected as the union's first female General Secretary, defeating Marion Lloyd. She assumed the office on 1 February 2024.[6]
Membership and organisation
The union had 195,901 members at the end of 2015[7] and is the largest trade union representing civil servants in the UK.[8]
Two factions compete in elections to the National Executive Committee of the PCS, its governing body: the ruling Left Unity faction,[9] which stands candidates as part of the Democracy Alliance, and an opposing Independent Left faction.[10]
On 8 March 2010, 270,000 civil servants began a 48-hour strike over government changes to redundancy payments.[17]
2011
The union voted for a one-day strike on 30 June 2011.[18]
2013
Strike action was organised for New Year's Eve 2013 for all Metropolitan Police Service Civil Staff due to a pay dispute. Taking strike action on this day was deemed to be most effective because of the busy nature of the day for police.[19] The MPS offered a below inflation wage increase of 1%. Another strike ballot was announced on 6 February 2014 for strike action on 12 and 13 February 2014.
As part of the union's budget day strikes,[20] a series of protests took place across branches in the Culture Group, including Tate and National Museums Liverpool to highlight the effect of government cuts to arts funding.[21]
2014
PCS announced they would be joining a national strike alongside other unions on Budget Day - 10 July, over pay restraint and austerity in the public sector.[22]
2015
From 11 August 2015, PCS members at the National Gallery took indefinite strike action against a proposed privatisation of the security staff at the gallery.[23] The strike lasted for over 100 days.[24]
Another of the union's Culture Group branches went on strike in December 2015 against the removal of weekend allowances.[27] The dispute at the National Museum of Scotland branch was eventually ended when funding from the Scottish Government enabled a buy out of the allowances.[28]
2016
Cleaners in HMRC went on strike as their outsourced employer, ISS, claimed it couldn't afford the Government's new National Living Wage.[29]
2017
Strike action of Driving Examiners was organised for 4 and 5 December to coincide with the introduction of new driving tests in order to protest against the introduction of Satellite Navigation to the test on 4 December. Examiners also voted started work to rule on 23 November.[30][31]
2019
In conjunction with GMB, PCS members at Historic Royal Palaces took strike action against proposed changes to their pensions.[32] This was the first time the Beefeaters had been on strike in 55 years.[33]
In December 2019, Security Guards and Front of House workers at Wallace Collection successfully protested outside an exhibition opening to secure the London Living Wage.[36]
2020
Following mass redundancies in the arts and culture sector caused by the COVID-19 lockdown, PCS members working for the commercial arm of Tate galleries in London took 42 days strike action against mass redundancies.[37] A further 300 redundancies were also announced at Southbank Centre, leading to mass protests by PCS members outside the venues.[38]
2021
After a large, and in several cases fatal, COVID-19 outbreak in the offices of the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), PCS members took multiple days of strike action in June and July to highlight the lack of adequate health and safety protection.[39]
191,289 (2022)[1]
