UNITY is helping Britain’s biggest Civil Service union get stronger by the day in the face of Tory attacks amid national strike action, its president Fran Heathcote said today.

Addressing the opening day of the Public & Commercial Services (PCS) union’s 2023 conference in Brighton, Ms Heathcote said standing together in the long-running dispute over pay, pensions, redundancy rights and job security is “not a luxury: it is a necessity.”

This week’s three-day meet-up comes after the union’s members overwhelmingly voted to renew their six-month strike mandate following a massive walkout of 100,000 civil servants in February. 

Speaking at the Brighton Centre, Ms Heathcote warned that the union is “getting stronger by the day and it is determined to win.

“With the government we have, we face immense pressure.

“We need to unite and see who the real enemies are: the Tories and our employers.”

The Department for Work & Pensions employee — first elected in 2019 — also praised “inspirational” PCS head Mark Serwotka, who announced last week that he plans to retire in the new year.

The union has about 185,000 members in the Civil Service and many government agencies.