Post union should restart strikes

[johnnyp]

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Post union should restart strikes
By a CWU union area processing rep in Cambridge

Leaders of the postal workers’ union were wrong to suspend strikes at Royal Mail.

It is testimony to the strength of the union that Royal Mail was forced repeatedly to return to talks—and to offer a number of concessions. But can we trust Royal Mail management to stick to their word and start serious negotiations?

All the indications are that we can’t. Royal Mail management is as vicious as ever, and the pause in our strike action seems to have done little to discourage their attacks.

The secret Royal Mail presentation published in Socialist Worker shows bosses’ clear intention to avoid any industrial action in the Christmas period, only to return to the offensive in the New Year when the volume of mail falls significantly.

Now many strikers fear that, despite weeks of rock solid action, the company will be able to use the “period of calm” promised by the deal to clear the giant backlog of mail.

The interim agreement signed by the CWU union and Royal Mail does not solve the key issues behind the dispute.

And the prospect of further hard-hitting action had both management and the government on the ropes.

In many delivery offices, management have so far refused to even meet with union reps to discuss resolving the chaos caused by attempts to “re-design” delivery rounds.

Our members in delivery offices across Britain and Northern Ireland are still being threatened if they don’t complete new rounds by working overtime for free.

Meanwhile our mail centres are still being deliberately starved of work in order to reduce overtime. The agreement states that offices that have had their work diverted to scab “outhouses” should have it returned to them.

These are clear breaches of the “interim agreement” and the union should insist that the company either honours its side of the deal or face the immediate resumption of national strikes.

Postal workers in my mail centre, like many others, see this battle as being about more than defending terms and conditions. It’s about the future of the industry and the right to have an effective union to represent you. It’s also about defending public services and stopping the privatization of Royal Mail.

Everyone knows that now is the time to beat this management and Lord Peter Mandelson.

Many union activists correctly feel that a significant victory was well within their grasp and that national strike action must now be restored quickly in order for the union to regain the initiative.

Let’s not waste this chance to hit back. Let’s restart the strikes immediately.

From the print edition of Socialist Worker No. 307

[smudger83]

i dont think any amount of strikes is going to achieve anything, we have tried and it isnt getting us very far.
what has changed? i shudder to think of striking in jan feb march, historically a fairly quiet time, enabling competitors to have an easy time and build their businesses on the back of us.

[DGP1]

i dont think any amount of strikes is going to achieve anything, we have tried and it isnt getting us very far.
what has changed? i shudder to think of striking in jan feb march, historically a fairly quiet time, enabling competitors to have an easy time and build their businesses on the back of us.

Is that when TNT and DHL and all the rest of the competition send their own delivery people out onto the street

[dongash]

we should never have called off the strikes. we have NEVER had the kind of support we have had for this strike. I for one think the leadership of this union should grow some balls and restart the strikes whilst they have any membership left!!! It's members are being bullied, supended and harassed on a daily basis.To the rank and file member it looks like the leadership have a f##k you i'm alright attitude.why is it the local reps can see the s**t we are putting up with, but not the leadership? we can't see any difference to now and before the strikes!!! I think royal mail will pay the union lip service to get xmas over with then say to the union after xmas "stay out as long as you like". By then it will be too late for not only the the membership, but for the very existence of the union itself.

[foger]

I'm thinking of pulling my union subs and donating them to charity. At least that will not be a waste of money.

[k979aaa]

we should never have called off the strikes. we have NEVER had the kind of support we have had for this strike. I for one think the leadership of this union should grow some balls and restart the strikes whilst they have any membership left!!! It's members are being bullied, supended and harassed on a daily basis.To the rank and file member it looks like the leadership have a f##k you i'm alright attitude.why is it the local reps can see the s**t we are putting up with, but not the leadership? we can't see any difference to now and before the strikes!!! I think royal mail will pay the union lip service to get xmas over with then say to the union after xmas "stay out as long as you like". By then it will be too late for not only the the membership, but for the very existence of the union itself.

All i can say is i second your proposal and may those in H/Q realise this is not about them but for the greater good of all of the worker's in this land!.

[Lincox]

Heres a question. Will Brendan Barber and Acas have the guts to make a statement to the nation, once the CWU has submitted it,s evidence that Royal Mail have broken and totally disregarded the agreement that they signed.

If they do will this government have the guts to sack Mandelson, Crozier, Higson and Tolchard.

[steven100]

Heres a question. Will Brendan Barber and Acas have the guts to make a statement to the nation, once the CWU has submitted it,s evidence that Royal Mail have broken and totally disregarded the agreement that they signed.

If they do will this government have the guts to sack Mandelson, Crozier, Higson and Tolchard.

Mandelson(Po) will be gone soon, as Tinky Winky, Dipsy and Laa Laa they will probably get a big fat cheque for doing a good job before being asked to leave.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

I'm thinking of pulling my union subs and donating them to charity. At least that will not be a waste of money.

The CWU is virtually a company union at the top, but my advice is to stay in (opt out of the political fund by all means) bide your time and get rid of the Wimbledon based Muppet Show who are supposed to be leading us. Then, we just might be able to elect a few militants who have some concern for the rank and file. You know, real union people who have a bit of fight in them instead a couple of Labour Party flunkeys.