I AM so proud to be attending the PCS conference for the first time this week since I was elected general secretary. I love this union to bits, and it has got such a brilliant story to tell from the past 12 months.

We’ve been winning on bread-and-butter issues for members and we’ve been fighting on behalf of people all over the world. We’re going to need this determination and fortitude more than ever as this union and the country enter a new era.
 
Our conference this week gives us the chance to reflect on our national campaign and the historic gains that came from it. Our members took a record number of strike days in a winning strategy that included highly effective targeted action and all-member national action.
 
It was because of this action that we drew unprecedented concessions from the government. For the first time, the Civil Service pay remit, which covers the pay of our members, was increased. It wasn’t just increased; it was more than doubled.

We put more money in our members’ pockets, as the pay model also included a cost-of-living payment of £1,500. Elsewhere, the government dropped plans to slash redundancy pay by an eye-watering 33 per cent. It was a stunning victory and shows what this great union can achieve when we unite and fight back.
 
With our union and others taking record levels of strike action and winning, there’s an insatiable appetite from this rotten government to put a stop to it.