Jump to content

Mark Serwotka

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Serwotka in 2008

Mark Henryk Serwotka (/ˈsɛərvoʊtkə/; born 26 April 1963)[1] is a retired trade unionist who was General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), the largest trade union representing British civil servants.[2][3][4] He was President of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) for 2019.

Early life

[edit]

Serwotka was adopted by a Polish-born father and a Welsh mother and brought up in Aberdare.[5]

Career

[edit]

In 1979, aged sixteen, he joined the Civil Service as a benefits clerk, joining the union on his first day.[6] He became a union representative in 1980 and a personal case officer in 1995.[7]

In the 2000 election for General Secretary, he faced two rivals: Hugh Lanning of the Membership First faction and the incumbent Barry Reamsbottom of the National Moderate Group.[8] However, Reamsbottom did not secure the fifty branch nominations needed to appear on the ballot paper. Serwotka then beat Lanning with 41,000 to 33,000 votes.[9] Following Serwotka's election, Reamsbottom refused to step down when his term of office expired, citing what he claimed were legal irregularities in the election process.[10] The dispute was taken to the High Court where Serwotka won and subsequently assumed office.[11][12]

In 2005, Serwotka was elected unopposed for another term as General Secretary as he was the only candidate with the required 25 branch nominations. In 2009, Serwotka was re-elected for a five-year term, with 37,866 votes to Rob Bryson's 21,883.[13] In 2014, he was elected unopposed for a fourth five-year term.[14]

In the 2000 General Secretary election, Serwotka pledged that if elected he would only accept the equivalent of an average civil servant's wage. Serwotka returns around £8,000 of his annual salary to the union.[5]

Serwotka was elected President of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) for 2019, a prominent but largely honorary position.[15]

In May 2023, Serwotka announces his intention to retire after 24 years,[4] with his tenure ending at the end of January 2024 after the election of Fran Heathcote as his replacement.[2][3]

Political views

[edit]

Serwotka was a member of Socialist Organiser in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was later a supporter of the Socialist Alliance and then Respect.[16]

In February 2013, he was among those who gave their support to the People's Assembly in a letter published by The Guardian newspaper.[17]

He attempted to vote in the 2015 Labour Leadership Election, but was among those who had their vote rejected by the party.[18] In March 2016, he rejoined the Labour Party after being expelled from it over 25 years earlier.[19] He wrote in The Huffington Post: "Jeremy [Corbyn] is the first Labour leader in a generation who unequivocally supports the unions and his opposition to the trade union bill has been crucial." He added "I have joined to support Jeremy in transforming the party. And I want as many people as possible to join Labour, and to get involved in the fight against cuts where they live. This is our chance to build a social movement and form a government that can offer hope to the millions of people that deserve so much better than these contemptible Tories."[20]

Personal life

[edit]

Serwotka is married to Ruth Serwotka,[21] co-founder of the organisation Woman's Place UK, a gender-critical advocacy group that is opposed to gender self-identification for trans people in the UK.[22]

In September 2010, Serwotka was named as one of the hundred most influential British Catholics by The Tablet.[23]

In 2013 he was fitted with a battery-powered ventricular assist device after picking up a viral infection from the family dog.[24] He was readmitted to hospital on 30 August 2016, when the ventricular assist device developed a clot and his doctors then placed him on the urgent transplant list. In December 2016 he had a heart transplant at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire.[25]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Birthdays today". The Telegraph. London. 26 April 2012. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2014. Mr Mark.H.Serwotka, General Secretary, Public and Commercial Services Union, 49
  2. ^ a b Serwotka, Mark. "Message from Mark Sertwotka". pcs.org.uk. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b Maguire, Kevin (30 January 2024). "Exclusive: PCS union leader Mark Serwotka given heart transplant after catching virus while washing dog". The Daily Mirror. Reach plc. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Civil service union chief Mark Serwotka to retire after 23 years". 17 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Union boss Mark Serwotka hits out at 'fat cat' claims over £86,000 salary". Wales Online. 24 July 2011.
  6. ^ Andy Bloxham (28 January 2011). "Union talks: the key players". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  7. ^ "Mark Serwotka". Debretts. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  8. ^ Osler, David (18 July 2002). "PCS Conspiracy Flashback: TUCETU, IRIS, and TRUEMID".
  9. ^ Foot, Paul (29 May 2002). "Hard to say goodbye". The Guardian. London, UK.
  10. ^ Maguire, Kevin (24 May 2002). "Union leader refuses to quit". The Guardian. London, UK.
  11. ^ "Left-winger wins union court battle". BBC News. 31 July 2002.
  12. ^ "Case No: HC 02CO1433 Neutral Citation Number: [2002] EWHC 1642 Ch In the High Court of Justice Chancery Division". 31 July 2002. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  13. ^ "Mark Serwotka re-elected". PCS News centre. 17 December 2009. Archived from the original on 14 January 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  14. ^ "Mark Serwotka re-elected unopposed". PCS News centre. 23 October 2014. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  15. ^ "Mark Serwotka becomes TUC President | TUC".
  16. ^ "Key players in the union movement". BBC News. 5 September 2007.
  17. ^ "People's Assembly Against Austerity". The Guardian. 5 February 2013.
  18. ^ "Labour leadership: Mark Serwotka of PCS union has vote rejected". BBC News. 26 August 2015.
  19. ^ Waugh, Paul (2 March 2016). "Jeremy Corbyn Allies Mark Serwotka And Matt Wrack Have Been Readmitted to the Labour Party, HuffPostUK Reveals". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  20. ^ Serwotka, Mark (2 March 2016). "I Have Rejoined Labour to Support Jeremy Corbyn". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  21. ^ "Mark Serwokta has a heart transplant". The Guardian. 8 December 2016.
  22. ^ "Why some women don't back 'self-identifying'". BBC News. 20 October 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2021 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ Bates, Stephen (14 September 2010). "The church that Pope Benedict will find in Britain". The Guardian. London.
  24. ^ Maguire, Kevin (4 April 2016). "Union leader who's kept alive by BATTERIES backs campaign for opt-out organ donor register". Daily Mirror.
  25. ^ "Mark Serwotka has successful heart transplant". Public and Commercial Services Union. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
[edit]
Trade union offices
Preceded by General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union
2002–2024 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Trades Union Congress
2018–2019 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mark_Serwotka&oldid=1251991750"