Greenwich + National Greens back postal workers

[Big Daz]

http://greenwich.greenparty.org.uk/loca ... lmail.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Greenwich Greens back postal workers
23 October 2009

Greenwich Green Party has pledged its full support for a universal postal service and is backing the postal workers in their dispute with Royal Mail management.

Royal Mail management are trying to force through cuts to postal workers' earnings, often using threats and intimidation and wrecking their conditions of service.

"This is a difficult time to be a postal worker, but they continue to deliver a vital public service," says Greenwich & Woolwich parliamentary candidate Andy Hewett..

The Green Party supports the postal workers because Royal Mail is not complying with a 2007 agreement pledging there would be consultation and negotiation on a new phase of modernisation, together with maintaining reasonable levels of pay.

"It is vital that we defend the jobs, pay and conditions of the postal workers and continue the fight against privatisation of the Royal Mail. Competition and introduction of market forces leads to reduced levels of service, poorer pay and conditions and job cuts, in order to protect the profits of the private companies," Andy adds.

"We can already see this locally with post offices closing here in Greenwich, depriving people of vital local services. Not only is this potentially bad for peoples' health and wellbeing, it is also bad for the environment - carbon emissions are increased when people have to travel further for services which were once available locally.

"Competition is also bad for the environment. As more Royal Mail contracts are sold off to privateers such as TNT, there are potentially more vans from different companies delivering to the same addresses - increasing emissions, pollution and traffic - unsustainable in Greenwich which already has some of the most congested and polluted roads in the country.

"Privatisation has failed. Public services which have been privatised have not improved.

"The actions of the Royal Mail management and the Labour gvernment in trying to bully the CWU in this dispute have been shameful, but we know the Tories would be at least just as ruthless in their treatment of the postal workers. We fully support the right of the CWU members to strike, we urge the public to support them in their struggle, and we believe that the majority of the public do support them, despite any attempts to discredit the strikers made by politicians or management. Support the posties!"

For more information:



Visit the Communication Workers' Union website for more on the dispute

See the Green Party's policies on workers' rights and on trade union laws
http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/mfss/mfsswr.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/rops/ropswr.html#RWR061" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A YouGov poll says the public wants the government to intervene

Read a postman's account of what is happening inside Royal Mail. http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n18/maya01_.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[floydy]

Lets put the political levy their way then

[Lincox]

Is this also supported by the Green Party Leaders throughout the country. If it is, I will gladly support them at the next election and suggest we all have a vote within the cwu to see who our support should go to. We now have 2.5 conservative parties in this country, each trying to outwit each other. Suggest our supporters from the Labour Party break away from the shambles we have at the moment. They will have a much better chance of being re-elected under a different party.

[Big Daz]

YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!

Check out the two links above and this one

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/22-10 ... trike.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Greens accuse Government of "dismantling" Royal Mail

Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party, today promised to "lobby at every level" in order to support striking postal workers and accused the Government of effectively "dismantling" Royal Mail with its ongoing programme of privatisation.

In a strongly worded letter to the Communication Workers Union - released this afternoon - Lucas, who is also the Green Party candidate for Brighton Pavilion, accused the Government of "ill-serving" workers and the UK public alike and criticised the Government for its "shameful privatisation of public services" which has led to "increased marginalisation and inequalities in terms of public access to services".

The move comes as the row over today's first postal strike escalated, with Gordon Brown calling upon the strikers and Royal Mail to "get around the table" to end the industrial dispute and the Tories attacking Labour for failing to deal with the crisis.

Several Brighton and Hove Green Councillors will be joining the picket line in central Brighton tomorrow (Friday).

In the letter to CWU Secretary Bill Hayes, Caroline Lucas says: "In our view, Royal Mail workers and management have been on a collision course since the private sector has been forced on the service. By removing profitable parts of the business for the benefit of speculators and investors, the Government has created an environment in which the interests of the population of the UK as a whole have been ill-served, none more so than your members. It is shameful that a Labour Government should have played such a role in the privatisation of public services, and in a way which has increased marginalisation and inequalities in terms of access to services."

"It is especially concerning that this Labour Government is not content with overseeing the dismantling of this vital service, but now appears to be colluding with Royal Mail management to undermine the rights of the Union and its representatives, and condoning the side-lining of the CWU in working towards the completion of the agreement from the last period of industrial action."

The Green Party leader offered the CWU the Green's full support in the coming days, stating that "...we hope that any action is swift and positive in its results. As we did two years ago, we will lobby at every level to support the CWU cause."

Lucas used the letter of support to draw attention to the fact that in Brighton and Hove during previous industrial action: "Green Party members and our active Trade Union Group joined the CWU on the picket line, Green councillors promoted your case, including getting Brighton and Hove Council to support your action, and we publicly backed your position."



GREEN POWER TO THE PEOPLE

[Lincox]

Thats me sorted for the next election