Mark Henryk Serwotka (; born 26 April 1963) is

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the

Public and Commercial Services Union The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) is the sixth largest trade union in the United Kingdom. Most of its members work in UK government departments and other public bodies. History The union was founded in 1998 by the merger of th ...

(PCS), the largest trade union representing British civil servants. He was

President of the Trades Union Congress The President of the Trades Union Congress is a prominent but largely honorary position in British trade unionism. History Initially, the post of president was elected at the annual Trades Union Congress (TUC) itself, and would serve just for the ...

(TUC) for 2019.

Early life

Serwotka was adopted by a Polish-born father and a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

mother and brought up in

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; cy, Aberdâr) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tyd ...

Career

In 1979, aged sixteen, he joined the

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

as a benefits clerk, joining the union on his first day. He became a union representative in 1980 and a personal case officer in 1995. 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. 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. 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. The dispute was taken to the High Court where Serwotka won and subsequently assumed office. 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. In 2014, he was elected unopposed for a fourth five-year term. 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. Serwotka was elected

(TUC) for 2019, a prominent but largely honorary position.

Political views

Serwotka was a member of ''

Socialist Organiser {{unreferenced, date=October 2007 ''Socialist Organiser'' was a weekly socialist newspaper circulated in the Labour Party. The newspaper was founded in 1979 by the Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory, later renamed the Socialist Organiser ...

'' in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was later a supporter of the Socialist Alliance and then

Respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the process of ...

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

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' newspaper. He attempted to vote in the 2015 Labour Leadership Election, but was among those who had their vote rejected by the party. In March 2016, he rejoined the Labour Party after being expelled from it over 25 years earlier. He wrote in ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'': "Jeremy orbynis 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 A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

Personal life

Serwotka is married to Ruth Serwotka, co-founder of the organisation Woman's Place UK. In September 2010, Serwotka was named as one of the hundred most influential British Catholics. In 2013 he was fitted with a battery-powered

ventricular assist device A ventricular assist device (VAD) is an electromechanical device for assisting cardiac circulation, which is used either to partially or to completely replace the function of a failing heart. The function of a VAD differs from that of an artific ...

after picking up a viral infection from the family dog. 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 Royal Papworth Hospital is a specialist heart and lung hospital, located on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridgeshire, England. The Hospital is run by Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital is a world-leading cardiot ...

References

External links

PCS Press release on the court caseArticle from the New StatesmanMark 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)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serwotka, Mark 1963 births Living people Alliance for Workers' Liberty people British Trotskyists Catholic socialists General Secretaries of the Public and Commercial Services Union Labour Party (UK) people Members of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress Trade unionists from Cardiff People from Reigate and Banstead (district) Presidents of the Trades Union Congress British adoptees Welsh Roman Catholics British civil servants People educated at Bishop Hedley High School