PCS makes public sector reforms an election issue

5 Apr 07
Whitehall's largest trade union this week intensified its battle against the government's civil service reform agenda by asking hundreds of local councillors for their views on the controversial proposals in advance of next month's town hall elections.

06 April 2007

Whitehall's largest trade union this week intensified its battle against the government's civil service reform agenda by asking hundreds of local councillors for their views on the controversial proposals in advance of next month's town hall elections.

The Public and Commercial Services union, which represents more than 300,000 public servants nationally, aims to expose the levels of support and opposition to its campaign among town hall candidates by publishing the responses to key questions in advance of the votes in England, Scotland and Wales on May 3.

The union, which is also planning a second national strike by government staff before the local authority elections, aims to influence voters by exposing candidates who back the government's reforms in areas where job cuts, or service changes, have been earmarked.

The PCS has opposed government plans to axe 100,000 public sector jobs by 2008, intensify the privatisation of services such as welfare programmes, and cap pay rises at 2% annually.

Letters sent out this week ask each candidate: 'Where do you stand?' on each proposal.

Speaking to Public Finance recently, PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said that the short questionnaire 'would give local voters concerned about local services the chance to assess where individual candidates stand and hold them to account'.

Serwotka said he anticipated a sizeable degree of support for the PCS's campaign in Scotland and Wales, where many of the government's reforms have already been implemented.

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