There have been penalties for those who looked the other way when Epstein was convicted of child sex offences and decided to maintain relationships with the financier — but not for the British ambassador to Washington, reveals SOLOMON HUGHES
Why PCS is striking and the need for joint, co-ordinated action
Alongside education workers, lecturers, bus drivers, railway workers and health workers, 133,000 civil servants will be taking strike action on budget day, March 15 in a significant escalation, writes FRAN HEATHCOTE
LOUD AND CLEAR: PCS picket Angela Grant outside the HQ of the Department for Work and Pensions
Labour’s new Treasury unit will ‘challenge unnecessary regulation’ by forcing nominally independent bodies like Ofwat to bend to business demands — exactly what Iain Anderson’s corporate clients wanted, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
DR DYLAN MURPHY looks at a Big Brother Watch report which exposes the government as an enabler of DWP secret spying on benefit claimants
The EU faces a critical choice: will it remain in the shadow of an increasingly unreliable US ally, or will it forge its own path in a multilateral world where co-operation with China is essential, asks MARC VANDEPITTE as leaders meet for the EU-China Summit
A lot of discussion about how the left should currently organise – including debate on whether the Green Party is a useful vehicle for advance – runs the risk of refusing to engage with or learn from the reasons the left was defeated previously, argues KEVIN OVENDEN
For Egypt trade trumps the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians, but how long can the country’s ‘misleaders’ – and others in the region – continue their indifference against the popular will of their own people, asks ROGER McKENZIE
OUR members have had enough and are raring to join today’s mammoth strike action. When PCS re-balloted eight further areas that came close to beating the threshold last time — which included HMRC — all eight didn’t just beat, but smashed, the threshold the second time around.
In PCS, we have developed a strategy of targeted action, where distinct areas take action, on behalf of everyone — an action that is impactful and cannot be ignored. This is accompanied by all-member action, when we bring out everyone covered by the mandate when it can have the most impact, alongside other unions.
In our biggest dispute in over 20 years over pay, pensions, redundancy terms and job security, tens of thousands of our members have taken action since November. After a huge show of strength on February 1, more areas are making submissions for targeted action every week.
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Civil servants are worried that work they are being asked to undertake may be contributing to potential Israeli war crimes – and PCS will back back any member facing disciplinary action for refusing to work on arms export licences, writes general secretary FRAN HEATHCOTE
Public and Commercial Services union leader FRAN HEATHCOTE warns the Chancellor not to take an axe to the Civil Service – and points to measures that would genuinely improve the public sector
As the government ploughs ahead with £3 billion in welfare cuts, arbitrary office-return mandates, and below-inflation pay rises, women will bear the brunt through deepening poverty and increased caring burdens, argues FRAN HEATHCOTE
There is no stronger economy without the stronger wages that provide extra disposable income, which is why workers – including civil servants – must have their pay boosted in real terms, along with restored union rights and insourcing, says FRAN HEATHCOTE
