Score draw in London postal dispute

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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London postal workers have scored a partial, but perhaps ultimately phyrric, victory in their battles against closures and job losses at three Royal Mail workplaces in the capital (the mail centres at Twelvetrees in Bow and the Nine Elms centre in south London and the delivery centre at Rathbone Place).

Following a vote for strike action, which passed by a resounding majority, the Communication Workers' Union held off naming strike dates in order to enter into new negotiations with Royal Mail management. The deal they have reached lifts the threat of compulsory redundancies and secures some new benefits for workers who will be transferred to other sites in outer London (such as transport provision) but leaves the bosses' closure plan intact. While the concession won from management on the issue of job losses is real, the long-term impact of the closure of some of London's best-organised Royal Mail workplace will be heavy for both postal workers and service users.

The dispute followed a pattern typical of the big disputes the CWU has conducted recently - that is, industrial action (or the threat of it) was used to win further negotiations rather than to win any specific, concrete demands. If the union had actually organised strike action, or even named a date for it, it could've negotiated from a position of greatly increased strength. The fact that the final deal was secured by full-time negotiators and not even voted on by rank-and-file postal workers is also problematic.

Workers relocated from the sites due to close will have to work hard to rebuild and strengthen organisation in their new workplaces. That the threat of a strike forced management to back down on its job cuts threat is significant, but the balance sheet of the dispute shows that rank-and-file activists in the CWU have a lot of work to do to make sure the next dispute ends more straightforwardly in a win for the workers.

[Lincox]

Another massive short term mistake by the CWU management and PEC.

[Martin Walsh]

Workers Liberty is wrong on the two key issues regarding the London Mail Centre Dispute.

1. Is that the dispute was not about protecting bricks and mortar we are not the national trust , it was about protecting members from complusory redundnacies. Rathbone Place is the jewel in Royal Mail`s property collection. It is not a mail centre and houses W1 and WC delivery offices and a collection hub. It is moving to the Mount 1 mile down the road and the mount is partly in WC. Now Nine Elms was always going to close. The area is known as the Nine Elms regeneration area and Wandsworth is encouraging all businesses to leave the area. The Old Battersea Power station is going to be devloped into another canary wharf. On top of all this the American Embassy is moving to within 150 yards of the South London Mail Centre. Now unless you know Nine Elms lane then there is only two ways out , one torwards Vauxhall Cross and the other torwards Battersae. The chances running a mail centre right next to the American Embassy is impossible. Royal Mail knew this and thats why they wanted to close.

2. East London and for that matter Nine Elms will only close if Royal Mail meet the terms of the joint statement and 4.3 the reviews. Before each phase of the work goes they have to prove the last phase has maintained quality of service and they have prove they have reserved the surplus. Now that is going to be a very differcult thing for Royal Mail to do.

Our members know what the dispute was about , it was not about protecting buildings in fact we told the members at Rathbone Place and South London that their offices would close and they still voted yes because they knew what the dispute was about. Secondly we said to East London we would try and get an extension to the closure and a review to take place post 2012 Oympics.

Always makes me laugh the workers liberty members of this union , what dispute have they ever organised. Being left and close to the Labour party does not mean they organise the members to fight.

In London when there is an issue which attacks the members then the London membership will always stand up. Its a shame more in this union are not the same. There are moaners and groaners and then there are people prepared to do something about it. Too many fall in the first catotgary and too few in the second.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

In London when there is an issue which attacks the members then the London membership will always stand up. Its a shame more in this union are not the same. There are moaners and groaners and then there are people prepared to do something about it. Too many fall in the first category and too few in the second.

That will always be the case, but if the Union don't engage people or if they communicate poorly with members then the 2nd category will grow and the 1st will shrink. Also even though people may complain about the 2nd group we still need them as they are the larger group and if the Union don't engage them properly or worse, get more dismissive of them then when a call to Arms is made many won't heed the call and the CWU will be a busted flush. So can we please have less of the Strong/Weak active/apathetic doers/donters - it doesn't really help with Unity and tends to reinforce the fallacy that the job is different in the smoke, a fallacy I am finding it more and more difficult to counter.