13 October 2016

Announcing his union's official support for the Institute of Employment Rights' (IER) Manifesto for Labour Law, General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) Mark Serwotka has said he is "proud to stand behind" a "progressive alternative" to austerity.

The Manifesto, authored by 15 leading lawyers and academics, uses a wide evidence base and international comparisons to set out 25 recommendations for the next Labour government. The overarching aim of the proposals is to shift the focus of labour law towards collectively agreed wages and conditions at both a sectoral and enterprise level instead of relying on statutory minimums that encourage a race to the bottom.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell announced the Labour Party's adoption of the Manifesto in his keynote speech to the Labour Party Conference last month.

"In the last six years we have seen wages stagnate, 100,000 jobs axed from the civil service alone, terms and conditions slashed, and cuts to social security for some of the poorest members of our society," Mark Serwotka explained.

"While we have been proven right on how fundamentally wrong this failed political project called austerity is, the Tory government shows no sign of genuinely wanting to redress the balance.

"We have called on successive governments to restore central bargaining in the civil service as there are currently more than 200 separate sets of negotiations on pay and conditions - which is not only inefficient but also unfair, as it results in huge inequalities between departments and agencies.

"The IER's manifesto represents a major step towards a progressive alternative that PCS is proud to stand behind. By tackling wage inequality, we can build a stronger, more resilient, and fairer economy for all."

In its support for the Manifesto, PCS joins other major UK unions including TUC, UNITE, UNISON and GMB.

Click here to learn more about the Manifesto and support our cause