UNION LENDS POSTIE STRIKE £1M TO BUY HOMES

[Geezer]

Now would this be the Star trying to stir the s**t,


26th October 2009
By Victoria Fletcher

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/10 ... buy-homes/


POSTAL strike chiefs have used more than £1million in union cash to pay for their homes, according to a shock investigation.

Communication Workers’ Union’s chief negotiator Dave Ward is one of seven execs who has borrowed hundreds of thousands in union funds.
He was lent £100,000 in 2005 to buy a house in Chessington, Surrey. And he is paying as little as 0.375% on his mortgage after being guaranteed rates at three-quarters of the Bank of England base rate.
Ward also acted as the trustee of a similar loan to CWU official Tony Kearns, who borrowed £268,000 to buy a house in posh Kingston upon Thames, Surrey.
And CWU general secretary Billy Hayes borrowed the entire cost of his property from the union. The deal was even signed off by the union’s then leader Alan Johnson – who is now the Home ­Secretary.
The CWU has admitted the union loaned money to officials so they could afford to relocate to the London headquarters.
But senior CWU boss Kevin Slocombe was lent more than £187,000 to buy a property in Bristol in July last year.
The investigation is set to enrage Royal Mail workers involved in bitter national strikes over pay and jobs. A senior source at the Trades Union Congress said: “Many of our members are on low incomes. They give us their money to fight their corner, not buy nice houses.”
Royal Mail chief Adam Crozier said claims that Business Secretary Lord Mandelson was orchestrating the handling of the dispute were “nonsense”.
He is due to take part in fresh talks with the CWU today in a bid to solve the dispute before three more days of strikes, involving 43,000 workers due to start this Thursday.
CWU general secretary Billy Hayes said new talks today brokered by the TUC were a “good start”.
He added: “We need to have serious dialogue on taking this issue forward.”
Yesterday Shadow business secretary Kenneth Clarke told BBC1’s The Politics Show that a Tory government would press ahead with part-privatisation.

[Night Tonic]

Stir yes, but true.

[Geezer]

Stir yes, but true.

May be true but most firms will do this for employees, And nearly all high ranking employees get some perk or other.
MP's, Bankers , NHS Staff, School Staff can all be eligible for housing loans or discounts, So i see nothing strange here.

[mailman337]

Stir yes, but true.

May be true but most firms will do this for employees, And nearly all high ranking employees get some perk or other.
MP's, Bankers , NHS Staff, School Staff can all be eligible for housing loans or discounts, So i see nothing strange here.

Yes and what about croziers' swanky office suite ??.......conveniently forgotten eh ?? :cfo :cfo :cfo :cfo :cfo :cfo

[mailman337]

The Politics Show that a Tory government would press ahead with part-privatisation.*************************** Oh it's diluted down now, a few days ago the chinless idiots were advocating total privatisation ........seen your bicycle lately tory boy ??

[opgpat]

So basically the story is they are getting their mortgages from the CWU rather than HSBC or Nationwide? Seems a bit strange, but if the union isn't short of funds?

The only dodgy bit is the interest rate. If they are re-paying BELOW base rate then the union will be LOOSING money. That's because if it were left in the bank the interest would accumulate above what the interest on the loan is. Why can't they just get a normal mortgage like the rest of us and save the union this huge outlay in long-term, loss-making loans?

[kwf166]

Here we go again, another story against the workesr, what about Adam Crozier getting 3 million a year, why are they not going after rich scum,why on earth do the public buy this properganda crap, really has enough of the s**t media, we need create our own newspaper, and slag them off :cfo :cfo :cfo :cfo :cfo

[opgpat]

It's because Crozier and the like are expected to be greedy and have no scruples. That's why they 'excel' in upper managerial postions.

Our own paper?-

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Night Tonic]

Ah, but its ok for CWU to have THEIR fingers in the cash pot then?

[La Poste]

I read this article in the Times:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 888967.ece

My initial thought was well they are loans and will be paid back.
It doesn't look good but we have to remember the old tactic of divide and rule, expect to see a lot more stories like this from the right wing press.

[opgpat]

We have to ask, is this standard practice? Actually is pretty much is. Teachers, police, nurses, firefighters, social workers are all given cheaper than the market home-loans from the government - their employer.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndComm ... DG_4001345" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[smudger83]

!!

[opgpat]

struggling to get by on a poor salary and currently losing even more money through industrial action, to support the afore said people

Yes we get a poor salary - agreed
No current IA is not an issue as these loans were taken out in 2005 and due to relocation of CWU HQ according to the paper.
No we aren't on strike to support the CWU! We are on strike for our own terms and conditions!

[Night Tonic]

Well when the jobs are gone, Hayes, Ward & Co will still have their homes. So that'll be alright

[POSTMAN]

If it's true then it's an own goal!
Also anyone rem a few years back an article in a paper somewhere,where those at the top table had a lump sum wacked into their pension pot as 'They were on low wages as posties.'
I rem that well not sure where it was though.