Reasons to Reject the Deal , the truth behind the deal

[MAGNUM]

MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND

Reasons to Reject the Deal

The truth behind the spin:
The CWU National Executive is arguing that the agreement with Royal Mail is the best on offer and a success. CWU members will be balloted on the deal. However this agreement does not reflect what we could have won, given the successful strikes. Worse, it gives Royal Mail nearly everything they wanted. That is why we believe that branches should recommend this dodgy deal is rejected, and all members should vote against it.

PENSIONS: SLASHED
The CWU spin says that pensions are “decoupledâ€

[Edward Hunter]

If you want to see the future get down to my DO. Despite being absolutly slaughtered with mail for the past 2 weeks, people are all running around like loons trying to finish early. I kid you not that the fella who opens up the office at 3.30AM is a normal postie (not on overtime!) who starts 3 hours before his start time. IMO the main reason for this is the later starts, as our finishing time is past 3 o`clock and nobody wants to be working that late.There is no doubt in my mind that if people did the job properly, even with our 8 hour 36 minute daily duty times (brought about because we have the 6th week off) many would not complete. For the Saturday, we are scheduled an extra 2 hours extra SA overtime, meaning we dont finish till 13.30.The managers are taking this to the limit and we come off the sorting at the same time on a Saturday as the rest of the week. Personally i`d like to lose the 2 hours OT on a Saturday, but am told that if i refuse to do the overtime, my finishing times would just be adjusted during the week to finish slightly earlier, and they would keep Saturdays at 13.30 but without the extra payments. Talk about a rock and a hard place! So if it hasnt hit you like this yet i`m pleased for you but believe me its comming and it aint pretty! The only good thing is that they havn`t got a prayer with the flexibility here.

[k979aaa]

Well MAGNUM you have hit the nail on the head every postman/woman should vote no to this failed agreement for if you do not the consequences have been made clear for one and all it is your decision now it is up to everyone to vote and vote no!

[lovejoy]

MAGNUM was this written by or does it have any influence from the SWP?

[Southsider]

what diffrence would that make Lovejoy?Seems like Magnum has got it Spot on.

[lovejoy]

what diffrence would that make Lovejoy?Seems like Magnum has got it Spot on.

Its makes a very big difference to me. We should base our decisions on information from people with our interests at heart and with no political motive!!!!

[pcb]

Lovejoy: Political motive! interesting quote bearing in mind that we are public servants and the government is stitching us up with the help of management, the government keeping the union in check!. Interesting quote when Billy is a card carrying member of Labour. As for the SWP comment at least they are on our side. As for interests at heart Billy has defended the political levy stating it gives us influence in the political sphere! You can't have it both ways!

[lovejoy]

Lovejoy: Political motive! interesting quote bearing in mind that we are public servants and the government is stitching us up with the help of management, the government keeping the union in check!. Interesting quote when Billy is a card carrying member of Labour. As for the SWP comment at least they are on our side. As for interests at heart Billy has defended the political levy stating it gives us influence in the political sphere! You can't have it both ways!

in my view and the view of many colleagues on the picket line the SWP are an unwanted group who use people fights to push their own message.

pcb the alternative challenges of today (climate change, south american politics etc) may interest you but 99.9% of CWU members couldn't give a toss

[stephen500]

personally i will take any one that is on our side and with the exception of our own pec member, is it Jane joftus???, the swp does no harm. So regardless of their political position the swp, in my opinion have certainly not done any harm and may have helped in the morale department.

[mailjock]

Normally I am struck with how sensible Lovejoy is but on this occasion I am worried that he has become blinkered because of a personal distrust of the SWP.

But his comment: 'We should base our decisions on information from people with our interests at heart and with no political motive!!!!' worries me. It is crystal clear that the leadership of this union and the majority of PEC have political motives at heart when they are recommending this deal. And they all hope to get a nice payback from the Labour Party for their betrayal of this union and its members as well as the public who rely on our service.

And just for the record - I am not a member of SWP and never have been and don't agree with a lot of what they say but there are bits I do agree with. Sadly, despite tearing up my LP membership I don't see any real alternative to vote for as a member of the working class no matter how shitty they are.

But we can punish them by withdrawing the political levy even if it is only to withhold it for 1/2/3 years - that is the only power we have over the LP - nothing else, Brown has made it quite clear that he is not inetrested in our union's wishes or fight - he doesn't need to when he has the leadership in his pocket. So we must fight back on the political levy and if that means joining forces with the SWP to mobilise a withdrawal or withholding then so be it even if some union members regard it along the lines of my enemy's enemy must be my friend at least for clearly defined campaigns and objectives to suit the advancement of this union and its membership.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

I'm not a member of the SWP or any other Trotskyist 'vanguard' party and I'm quite happy to debate that with anyone who is interested. But, for years and years the only way of finding out anything happening in Royal Mail around the country was by reading the reports by Charlie Kimber and lately Yuri Prassad in their paper. The SWP leadership has a regretable history of taking over initiatives and using them as recruiting campaigns. In this present dispute, I don't see any signs of that happening. They've supported us, when the Government many CWU members voted for, and who the CWU leadership are very happy to fund, hasn't.
Of course the SWP has a political programme. They're just a good bit more honest about what that is than Labour. I'm happy to stand by them, or any other Trots (WP. PR, SP or whoever) on any picket line, anti-fascist demo etc. because I've got more respect (excuse the pun!) for them than I'll ever have for some Labour Party hack like Hayes and Ward.

[jafferpants]

If you want to see the future get down to my DO. Despite being absolutly slaughtered with mail for the past 2 weeks, people are all running around like loons trying to finish early. I kid you not that the fella who opens up the office at 3.30AM is a normal postie (not on overtime!) who starts 3 hours before his start time. IMO the main reason for this is the later starts, as our finishing time is past 3 o`clock and nobody wants to be working that late.There is no doubt in my mind that if people did the job properly, even with our 8 hour 36 minute daily duty times (brought about because we have the 6th week off) many would not complete. For the Saturday, we are scheduled an extra 2 hours extra SA overtime, meaning we dont finish till 13.30.The managers are taking this to the limit and we come off the sorting at the same time on a Saturday as the rest of the week. Personally i`d like to lose the 2 hours OT on a Saturday, but am told that if i refuse to do the overtime, my finishing times would just be adjusted during the week to finish slightly earlier, and they would keep Saturdays at 13.30 but without the extra payments. Talk about a rock and a hard place! So if it hasnt hit you like this yet i`m pleased for you but believe me its comming and it aint pretty! The only good thing is that they havn`t got a prayer with the flexibility here.

hAY LOVJOY read and digest what this guy is saying this is not his opinion it's hard fact. Or perhaps you think he's making it up This is the real truth behind so called flexibility

[dvbuk55]

Lovejoy: Political motive! interesting quote bearing in mind that we are public servants and the government is stitching us up with the help of management, the government keeping the union in check!. Interesting quote when Billy is a card carrying member of Labour. As for the SWP comment at least they are on our side. As for interests at heart Billy has defended the political levy stating it gives us influence in the political sphere! You can't have it both ways!

in my view and the view of many colleagues on the picket line the SWP are an unwanted group who use people fights to push their own message.

pcb the alternative challenges of today (climate change, south american politics etc) may interest you but 99.9% of CWU members couldn't give a toss

Actually I've long thought the CWU DO get involved in causes which have no interest whatsoever to the membership, LIKE the No to War, Chilean unions, and many other activities which have nothing to do with furthering our interests and everything to do with the leadership feathering their own nest.

Lets just have a damn good clear out, start from scratch and get men and women in who are in touch with reality and out of touch with the labour party.

[lovejoy]

Lovejoy: Political motive! interesting quote bearing in mind that we are public servants and the government is stitching us up with the help of management, the government keeping the union in check!. Interesting quote when Billy is a card carrying member of Labour. As for the SWP comment at least they are on our side. As for interests at heart Billy has defended the political levy stating it gives us influence in the political sphere! You can't have it both ways!

in my view and the view of many colleagues on the picket line the SWP are an unwanted group who use people fights to push their own message.

pcb the alternative challenges of today (climate change, south american politics etc) may interest you but 99.9% of CWU members couldn't give a toss

Actually I've long thought the CWU DO get involved in causes which have no interest whatsoever to the membership, LIKE the No to War, Chilean unions, and many other activities which have nothing to do with furthering our interests and everything to do with the leadership feathering their own nest.

Lets just have a damn good clear out, start from scratch and get men and women in who are in touch with reality and out of touch with the labour party.

Agree with that 100% . p****S me off when you see the annual report each year you see we've affliated to every cause under the sun!! except our own ha

[dvbuk55]

Agree with that 100% . p****S me off when you see the annual report each year you see we've affliated to every cause under the sun!! except our own ha

TBH I wouldn't mind so much if we had our domestic issues in order but it's a bit much to see these guys pontificating on issues which have no bearing whatsoever on our working lives. Their interest may well be justified and they may have an abiding belief in the issue BUT I don't and I'm actually paying their wages.