POLITICAL FUND EXEMPTION NOTICE

[Carnoustie]

Costs of lobbying MPs (travel costs etc)

Well that was money well-spent, wasn't it ? All those expenses-paid junkets brought about disbanding of Postcomm, suspension of competition until ALL European markets are opened to competition, and a review of the downstream access arrangements so that we don't end up losing money on every piece of mail that we deliver for our competitors. And it also bought us a squadron of pigs that are taxi-ing down the runway at Heathrow at this very moment ....

Lobbying MPs ? We should be lobbing 'em in the Thames and letting the tide carry 'em away

Printed-off the form, posting it to SW19 tomorrow

[johnston65]

NICE ONE CARNOUSTIE

[lovejoy]

Carnoustie nice to see that rather than look at the bigger picture you focus on one issue! Still each to their own!

Maybe you should ask your branch political officer for report on what he/she has done in last year. i'm sure this would show the wide range of issues funded by the political levy!

The Labour party are a disgrace and we must challenge the CWUs leadership on this. What we cannot do is disable the political strength of the union.

Just think how much we all hate the fact that non union members get the same benefits from pay deals as union members.

It is obvious that via ACAS and the TUC that the Government have stepped into our dispute. They won't admit it because it would only highlight their failures in employing Leighton, Crozier etc. This movement has come about partly because of the political campaign that has been run by the CWU.

Not in the Political levy but still benefitting?????!!!!!!

IT'S ABOUT MORE THAN THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT. DON'T DISABLE THE POLITICAL STRENGTH OUR UNION

[Big Daz]

Please read!

http://www.cwu.org/default.asp?Step=4&pid=501

[Big Daz]

And this!

http://www.cwu.org/default.asp?Step=4&pid=69

[IWW Fellow Worker]

They still won't be getting me to opt back in until they sever the link with the Labour Party. Even if Billy and Co decided to move in a leftward direction from Labour and financially support the Lib-Dems, I still wouldn't opt back in.

[catch]

Like carnoustie says, all the lobbying that goes on is a waste of time. I'd say most public rallies are pretty pointless as well - Unison tends to do them as an excuse not to call strikes, supporting "good local councillors" seems to be supporting the labour party to me (and maybe the odd lib dem/independent).

So everything on that list of lovejoy's seems to be either pointless or counter-productive to me.

[lovejoy]

Like carnoustie says, all the lobbying that goes on is a waste of time. I'd say most public rallies are pretty pointless as well - Unison tends to do them as an excuse not to call strikes, supporting "good local councillors" seems to be supporting the labour party to me (and maybe the odd lib dem/independent).

So everything on that list of lovejoy's seems to be either pointless or counter-productive to me.

So then 'all the lobbying that goes on is a waste of time' is it!? - Have you thought about the EDM on shares just last year? a record about of MPs signed up to the EDM and it was our political pressure and campaigning that made this happen. This is the same political strength that you are advocating to (a) take away and (b) is a 'waste of time'

You use Unison as an example to match us up with. Nice try but you cannot even compare the two unions. Unisons campaign on the sympathy, public goodwill (for nurses, council workers etc). The CWU campaign on the basis that if polititions do not support us then we will (a) take strike action to defend our position and (b) we can do massive damage to their political careers - We deliver your victory etc

You attack the support to local councillors but give little support to how this could affect the membership. For Example in our branch a depot was earmarked for closure and thanks in part to the hard work of local councillors Royal Mail were forced to back off!

I understand that many people on here have had enough of the current Labour Government. I am one of those people. It is sad though that you are encouraging people to withdraw from the political levy on this basis! All you are doing by following this path is strengthening the hand of the Tories and weakening the Unions postion. Just remember if the Unions power is eroded then so is yours!

[ajohnstone]

Another variant of the opt out form that can be sent direct to wages branch at Sheffield can be found here at
http://www.freewebs.com/edinburghiww/po ... utform.htm

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Another variant of the opt out form that can be sent direct to wages branch at Sheffield can be found here at
http://www.freewebs.com/edinburghiww/po ... utform.htm

That's a better form than the one we had out in 2001. Nice work bro.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

whilst appreciating some money isused towards political campaigns etc the cwu and labour will not take any notice until they notice until our money dries up !!!
you can lobby all you like its like pissing in the wind

You're right! The more people who pull the plug on Labour funding, the better. Eventually, the CWU might give us the option of opting back in as long as Labour don't get any of our money.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Can you not opt out and donate to the local branch so that they could spend the money as they see fit?
At least that way they are more accountable.

Unless it's changed, some of the cash is held by the local branch to pay for the election deposits of the prospective Gravy Train jumping con-men we all know as prospective Labour Party councillors.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Can you not opt out and donate to the local branch so that they could spend the money as they see fit?
At least that way they are more accountable.

Unless it's changed, some of the cash is held by the local branch to pay for the election deposits of the prospective Gravy Train jumping con-men we all know as prospective Labour Party councillors.

Sorry friend you seem to have missed MY point, can we not make a donation to our branch so that they can decide how it is spent! You seem to be hung up on Labour so lets work with them for a mo, if the branch deem a prospective councillor who ever that may be fit to represent the local people then that has to be better than a few dozen people at the top deciding for all of us? And the truth of the matter for me is i could then go to the branch meeting LISTEN to other people talk about listen to the peson concerned and work out if i wish to help out the councilor in question and SANCTION the branch by withholding my donation until my money will not make a difference to the said counciller. i find the thought of withdrawing from the political scene altogether worse than going along with it. Burying my head in the sand is a crime that we cant afford! i want choice i think far to many people have given their lives (and i am talking about our service men and women here ) for democracy to withdraw from the process and let a few people at the top decide for ME, and to sit and moan about it after it has happend is not an option for me. as i have seen on this site if you are not part of the solution then your part of the problem. Peace out.

If you are happy to vote for someone once every few years, then having done so be content to allow them to be told by their party hacks how to vote on any given issue with no referal back to the people who elected them, then fine. Personally, I prefer democracy. As for Labour, they've appointed a couple of hatchet men to run down the postal service, one of whom holds a Labour Party membership card. They have Prime Minister who tells us to get back to work because he thinks the deal on offer is a fair one, so you could say I'm not happy with Labour, but neither were 70% of the population at the last General Election.
As for the local branch deciding on how the funds are spent, I'm all for it. In answer to your original question, at present we can't opt out and have the money given to the local branch any more than we can have a branch political officer who is a member of any political party other than Labour. Time to make some changes I think.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Happy is not a word i would choose but its all we have at present and i am of the firm belief that if you dont use it you lose it, whilst its not true democracy not even sure how that could be made to work as at least on the face of it we would only have time for voting in reps and committees and most people cant even find time to vote in the elections that we have at present without adding even more and i know that most of us only have a poor crop to choose from but that is not an excuse to not make the trip down to the polling station and spoiling the paper or filling in the postal ballet or spoiling that and sending it back for our union reps. and as for "new Labour" dont get me started on that but i think the whole trade union movement should hold back every bit of cash until they come to heel. (After all they were formed by our unions as the political wing of the working man and woman.) I feel like its the tail wagging the dog. But its a shame we cant donate to the branch so that the good work that could be done still gets done and we would not have to give money to "New Labour." Any who many thanks for answering my question i will just have to keep paying the levy and protest to the CWU about the Labour thing.

There you are! We aren't too far away from sharing an opinion. I'd be happy for my branch to keep every penny rather than see the cah go towards something like securing cushy Labour Party jobs for the likes of Alan Johnson.

[POSTMAN]

Stickied this now as there are so many queries about it all.