BILLY HAYES TUC 2009 - SPEECH TO FRINGE MEETING ON RM

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TRADES UNION CONGRESS 2009 - SPEECH TO FRINGE MEETING ON ROYAL MAIL DISPUTE

The Union is facing a second national postal dispute following a Government announcement not to privatise Royal Mail.

In January 2007, the Government rejected management’s proposals to distribute shares to postal workers.

Within months we had a national strike, involving hundreds of thousands of strike days.

This year, in July, the Government announced it would not carry over the Postal Services Bill which prepared to privatise Royal Mail.

Now following tens of thousands of days lost in local strikes, we are having to organise a national strike ballot.

Clearly there has been a failure of both Government and management policy.

In 2007, and today, the position of Government was tending to support privatisation.

On both occasions the CWU launched a vigorous anti-privatisation campaign.

We had to demonstrate that the majority of the Labour movement maintained an active belief in the importance of public services.

Clearly those supporting privatisation inside the Government had given up on that commitment.

But we haven’t. And neither had the majority in the Labour movement.

Because we secured clear majorities for our support at both the TUC and the Labour Party Conference.

Indeed, we got this majority into print – via a commitment at the Warwick National Policy Forum in 2004 – and via the Labour Party Election Manifesto in 2005.

We also have to say that this reflected also the majority view in society at large.

Because every opinion poll carried out over the last twenty years has resulted in the majority of those questioned opposing the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Having settled one argument on privatisation – it cannot be right that the Government then allows management to try and work over the workforce of Royal Mail.

In 2007 – after the January Government announcement by Alistair Darling rejecting management’s privatisation proposals – management announced that there would be no wage rise – and refused to negotiate anticipated staffing changes.

By June 2007, the Union had secured a big majority for strike action – and we faced a summer of strikes where CWU members took 8 to 9 days strike action each.

Eventually a comprehensive agreement was reached, despite management’s earlier refusal.

This year we have seen management refuse to negotiate a wage a deal again, refused to honour the terms of the 2007 settlement, and refused to negotiate a comprehensive modernisation agreement.

Clearly management assumed that Royal Mail would be privatised – and so had been reluctant to demonstrate any supposed weakness towards the workforce by actually negotiating with it.

After Government announcing in July this year that it was withdrawing the privatisation threat, management has shown some signs of negotiating.

But these negotiations have only commenced very recently after the local strikes have begun to bite.

Meanwhile the Government has crossed its arms and become a spectator.

It hasn’t offered a word of sense on the future of Royal Mail’s pensions deficit or on the future regulation of Royal Mail.

These are the two outstanding issues from the now ghostly Postal Services Bill.

Unfortunately, the Prime Minister continued the passive pose yesterday – when CWU member Lesley McLean asked him about the future of Royal Mail pensions. All we heard were evasive words.

Not good enough – a real dispute is facing Government and we expect concrete answers.

We want Government to end its spectating. It must ensure that management negotiate in good faith – and with urgency.

The Government should not repeat its by-standing of 2007. Lord Mandelson should uncross his arms – and tell Royal Mail management that the industry can most effectively be modernised with the consent of its workforce.

An agreement to this will be forthcoming from the CWU – because postal workers will consent to the improved wages, terms and conditions that modernisation can bring.

If the Government does not do this – then we will have another strike like 2007.

And the Government also now prepare to resolve the outstanding issues of the pensions deficit and the regulation of the industry.

Earlier this year, in the House of Lords, there was agreement – across the parties – that the Government had the moral responsibility to take on the deficit.

That is right – successive Governments created the deficit – through the employer pension holiday.

But Lord Mandelson said that taking on this obligation would not be understood by the public – without privatisation – without getting something back.

Well – we have rather more respect for the electorate that this.

If the parties all understand the moral obligation to take the deficit – then why can’t the public – all that is needed to be done is for the Government to explain this obligation to the public.

Unless – the suggestion is that only the Government understands morality – and the public can’t.

That is not our view.

We want some simple action by Government to take on the pension’s deficit. And we want some simple legislation to amend the Postal Services Act 2000 and abolish Postcomm.

Everybody knows Postcomm has failed – surely the Government will not continue to ignore what it and everybody knows?

Over the next few months we will organise and ensure that the Government will not stand idly by.

We will take the matter to Party Conference – to the next Parliamentary session – and to the public – to ensure that this year will settle all the major political and industrial issues vital to the future of Royal Mail and our membership.

Thank you for listening.