Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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‘Industrial action works’
Peter Lazenby spoke to PCS president FRAN HEATHCOTE about the regeneration of her union, the relationship with Labour, and her campaign to become general secretary
Fran Heathcote, President of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union (centre), with supporters who are backing a legal challenge over the government's handling of pension rules, outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, January 31, 2023
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
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NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
AFTER the biggest wave of public-sector strikes in decades, Fran Heathcote, president of the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS), says 12 months of mobilisations have drawn more women workers into action in the trade union movement and sown the seeds for future struggles.
Heathcote, who is standing as Left Unity candidate to become PCS general secretary when Mark Serwotka retires from the post after a 23-year stint, has seen a new generation of activists emerge.
As with many of Britain’s biggest unions, PCS has a mainly female membership — approximately two-thirds women.
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