Mark Serwotka
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2009) |
Mark Serwotka (
/ˈsɛərvoʊtkə/; born 26 April 1963) is General Secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), the trade union for British civil servants.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Born into a Catholic orphanage in Cardiff, Wales, he was adopted by a Polish British father and a Welsh mother.
[edit] Career
Aged sixteen, he joined the Civil Service, and started work as a benefits clerk, joining the union on the first day.
[edit] Election as general secretary
Serwotka became a union representative in 1980 and a personal case officer in 1995.[1]
In the 2000 election that saw Serwotka elected General Secretary, he initially faced two rival candidates: Hugh Lanning of the Membership First faction and the incumbent Barry Reamsbottom of the National Moderate Group.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] The dispute was taken to the High Court where Serwotka won and subsequently assumed office.[5] In December 2009, Serwotka was re-elected for a five-year term, gaining 37,866 votes against Rob Bryson's 21,883.[6]
In the 2000 General Secretary election, Serwotka pledged that if elected he would only accept the equivalent of an average civil servant's wage.[7] In 2010, however, he received £88,675 in salary as well as £26,159 in pension contributions and a £474 additional housing cost allowance.[8]
[edit] Political views
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.[9]
[edit] Personal life
Married, Serwotka is an avid Cardiff City fan and lives in Chipstead, Surrey.[10]
Ahead of a visit by Pope Benedict XVI in September 2010, Serwotka was named as one of the hundred most influential Catholics in Britain by The Tablet.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ "Mark Serwotka". Debretts. http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/s/22492/Mark%20Henryk+SERWOTKA.aspx. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
- ^ http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0207/pcs6.html
- ^ Foot, Paul (29 May 2002). "Hard to say goodbye". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2002/may/29/politicalcolumnists.comment.
- ^ Maguire, Kevin (24 May 2002). "Union leader refuses to quit". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/may/24/politics.tradeunions.
- ^ "Left-winger wins union court battle". BBC News. 31 July 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2164504.stm.
- ^ "Mark Serwotka re-elected". PCS News centre. 17 December 2009. http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/news_centre/index.cfm/id/B3BEC3CB-AEBB-4FA3-90C68F8D5DC28DC8. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
- ^ http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/07/24/union-boss-mark-serwotka-hits-out-at-fat-cat-claims-over-86-000-salary-91466-29103753/ Wales Online, 24 July 2011. "Union boss Mark Serwotka hits out at 'fat cat' claims over £86,000 salary"
- ^ http://www.certoffice.org/CertificationOfficer/media/DocumentLibrary/PDFs/753T_2010.pdf
- ^ "Key players in the union movement". BBC News. 5 September 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4197262.stm.
- ^ Owen, Glen (26 June 2011). "Strike leader has £26,159 paid into his pension pot every year (the average salary of his members is £22,850)". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2008198/26-159-paid-strike-leaders-pension-pot-year--22-850-average-pay-members.html.
- ^ 'The church that Pope Benedict will find in Britain', Stephen Bates, The Guardian, Tuesday 14 September 2010 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/sep/14/religion-catholicism
[edit] External links
- PCS Press release on the court case
- Godrich and Serwotka versus Public and Commercial Services Union and Reamsbottom
- Labournet on the dispute
- Article from the New Statesman
- Mark Serwotka on HARDtalk (Video) - Part 1 18.08.2008
- Mark Serwotka on HARDtalk (Video) - Part 2 18.08.2008
- BBC Radio 4: Profile: Mark Serwotka (podcast mp3 file)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Barry Reamsbottom |
General Secretary of the PCS 2002 - present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
