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Mark Serwotka

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Serwotka in 2008

Mark Henryk Serwotka(/ˈsɛərvoʊtkə/;born 26 April 1963)[1]is a retiredtrade unionistwho wasGeneral Secretaryof thePublic and Commercial Services Union(PCS), the largest trade union representing British civil servants[2][3][4].He wasPresident of the Trades Union Congress(TUC) for 2019.

Early life

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Serwotka was adopted by aPolish-born father and aWelshmother and brought up inAberdare.[5]

Career

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In 1979, aged sixteen, he joined theCivil Serviceas 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 Lanningof the Membership First faction and the incumbentBarry Reamsbottomof 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 theHigh Courtwhere 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 electedPresident 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 ofFran Heathcoteas his replacement[2][3].

Political views

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Serwotka was a member ofSocialist Organiserin the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was later a supporter of the Socialist Alliance and thenRespect.[16]

In February 2013, he was among those who gave their support to thePeople's Assemblyin a letter published byThe Guardiannewspaper.[17]

He attempted to vote in the2015 Labour Leadership Election,but was among those who had their vote rejected by the party.[18]In March 2016, he rejoined theLabour Partyafter being expelled from it over 25 years earlier.[19]He wrote inThe 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 contemptibleTories."[20]

Personal life

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Serwotka is married to Ruth Serwotka,[21]co-founder of the organisationWoman's Place UK,agender-criticaladvocacy groupthat is opposed togender self-identificationfortrans people in the UK.[22]

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

In 2013 he was fitted with a battery-poweredventricular assist deviceafter 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 aheart transplantatPapworth Hospitalin Cambridgeshire.[25]

References

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  1. ^"Birthdays today".The Telegraph.London. 26 April 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 26 April 2012.Retrieved22 April2014.Mr Mark.H.Serwotka, General Secretary, Public and Commercial Services Union, 49
  2. ^abSerwotka, Mark."Message from Mark Sertwotka".pcs.org.uk.Retrieved9 October2024.
  3. ^abMaguire, Kevin (30 January 2024)."Exclusive: PCS union leader Mark Serwotka given heart transplant after catching virus while washing dog".The Daily Mirror.Reach plc.Retrieved9 October2024.
  4. ^ab"Civil service union chief Mark Serwotka to retire after 23 years".17 May 2023.
  5. ^ab"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.Retrieved13 March2018.
  7. ^"Mark Serwotka".Debretts. Archived fromthe originalon 30 August 2012.Retrieved31 March2011.
  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.Retrieved18 April2013.
  13. ^"Mark Serwotka re-elected".PCS News centre. 17 December 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 14 January 2010.Retrieved31 March2011.
  14. ^"Mark Serwotka re-elected unopposed".PCS News centre. 23 October 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 3 January 2015.Retrieved3 January2015.
  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.Retrieved15 July2017.
  20. ^Serwotka, Mark (2 March 2016)."I Have Rejoined Labour to Support Jeremy Corbyn".The Huffington Post.Retrieved15 July2017.
  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.Retrieved3 June2021– viaYouTube.
  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 fromthe originalon 11 December 2016.Retrieved23 December2016.
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Trade union offices
Preceded by General Secretary of thePublic and Commercial Services Union
2002–2024 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Trades Union Congress
2018–2019 		Succeeded by
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