CWU should boycott G4S

[LinChong]

Why is the CWU involved in G4S?

We have about 50 members in a G4S cash centre and their pay is holding down the pay of Post Office cash centre workers. When it comes to negotiations, Post Office Limited argue that the CWU have agreed the G4S pay rates so the CWU must agree that the low rates paid to G4S workers is fair. This is why Postal Assistants in cash centres are being paid £42 a week less basic pay than the lowest grade in Swindon Stock Centre.

On top of this, the CWU is affiliated to Amnesty International and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and our policy is to boycott companies involved in torture. G4S is involved in the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine and its numerous human rights abuses. G4S is providing security systems to help Israel secure prisons and interrogation centres where Palestinian children are being caged and tortured. These include:

• Ofer prison in the occupied territory, where G4S provides the perimeter defense system and the central command control room for the entire facility.

• The Al Jalame interrogation centre in northern Israel. Cell 36 where Defence for Children International reported that children are locked in small filthy cells in solitary confinement, some for 65 days, with their only escape being the interrogation room where they are shackled by their hands and feet to a chair whilst being abused, sometimes for hours. G4S provides the security system that keeps this torture den operational.

The CWU overwhelmingly passed a motion at our Annual Conference on 7th June condemning the Israeli Government's attacks on Gaza and calling on the British Government to do the same.

"Conference therefore instructs the NEC:
to call for an end to Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories.
to demand that the British government unequivocally condemns the Israeli military
aggression against Gaza.
to demand the British government ends British arms sales to Israel.
to call for the immediate suspension of the EU-Israel Agreement providing
preferential trade facilities to Israel.
to investigate whether any of the CWU’s holdings are in companies engaged in
building The Wall declared illegal by the International Court of Justice, and to divest
from them.
with CWU member Trustees of pension funds, to investigate whether any of their
holdings are in such companies and to campaign for their divestment.
to publicize principled trade union solidarity actions in support of the Palestinians
by, e.g., the South African dockworkers in Durban, the Irish tramway drivers in
Dublin, and the Norwegian rail workers for their two-minute strike in protest at the
Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
to congratulate the organizers of the Viva Palestina Convoy of medical and
humanitarian aid to Gaza.
to assist CWU members with information regarding local authority contracts with
Veolia, the French company involved in building the light railway from Jerusalem to
the illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, thus
encouraging campaigns to terminate such contracts.
to condemn the statement by Histadrut (Israel’s TUC) backing the invasion of Gaza.
to contact the appropriate Palestinian communication workers’ section of the
Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions to express the CWU’s support for
their members in occupied Palestinian territories.
to encourage branches to affiliate to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign."

We should divest from G4S and oppose any attempt to outsource any work done by any company in Royal Mail Holdings Plc to G4S.

In Greece, the far right party "Golden Dawn" draws a lot of its support from the Security Industry. It is vital that British government security contracts go to companies that do not have cultures that attract right wing extremists.

"G4S runs three immigration detention centres and received more than 700 complaints in 2010, including allegations of assault and racism, but said only 25 against its staff were upheld.

Most common complaints against G4S related to lost property and poor communication but there were 48 complaints of assault, three of which were upheld.

Two complaints of racism were partially substantiated but six were dismissed.

Jimmy Mubenga

In 2010, the Angolan detainee Jimmy Mubenga died after allegedly being restrained by G4S guards, three of whom were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. They are currently on bail.

Security guards allegedly kept him restrained in his seat as he began shouting and seeking to resist his deportation.
A post mortem said the death remained "unexplained".

The British Airways aircraft was taxiing at the time and had to abandon the flight.
G4S has since lost the deportation contract."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... rsies.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[dvbuk55]

Well far be it for me to be picky but why would we be involved in other countries politics - we have people on this site who refuse to support the Labour Party let alone the Palestinians et al. TBH I'd rather that conference concentrated on matters that appertain to CWU members and not get involved in condemning this that and the other which will have no influence whatsoever in other peoples affairs.

[clashcityrocker]

Well far be it for me to be picky but why would we be involved in other countries politics .

Because we are international socialists that's why.

[dvbuk55]

Well far be it for me to be picky but why would we be involved in other countries politics .

Because we are international socialists that's why.

Who's the we clash? Some sort of secret masonic group? I'm certainly not an international socialist and I certainly don't want to be financing them. You know the old saying "what happens in vegas stays in vegas".

[britwrit]

Well far be it for me to be picky but why would we be involved in other countries politics .

Because we are international socialists that's why.

A properly balloted, legal strike against handling mail from the occupied territories would be taking action. A conference motion is basically an empty gesture, so what's the point?

[clashcityrocker]

Who's the we clash? Some sort of secret masonic group?

The CWU's Statement of Values:

To provide first class collective and individual representation for all CWU members;
To achieve security of employment for all members;
To offer individual membership services of the highest quality;
To expand trade union membership throughout the communications industry;
To promote, by industrial and political means, the success of the industries in which our members work;
To campaign against all forms of discrimination;
To further these objectives by promoting the influence of the union throughout the national and international community.

[fishtank]

The CWU's Statement of Values:

To provide first class collective and individual representation for all CWU members;
To achieve security of employment for all members;
To offer individual membership services of the highest quality;
To expand trade union membership throughout the communications industry;
To promote, by industrial and political means, the success of the industries in which our members work;
To campaign against all forms of discrimination;
To further these objectives by promoting the influence of the union throughout the national and international community.

I suppose 1 out of 7 isn't bad.

[clashcityrocker]

I suppose 1 out of 7 isn't bad.

That's harsh.

[fishtank]

I suppose 1 out of 7 isn't bad.

That's harsh.

Not really.
They are aims and some of them are clearly unachievable.
There isn't a single union that manages to provide first class collective and individual representation for all members or security of employment for all members.
The others are far too vague to measure effectiveness.

[dvbuk55]

I'd be happy if they had any influence with the employer - I mean lets not try to multi task here - getting one thing right seems to be beyond their capabilities at this moment in time.

[Danelectro]

I'd be happy if they had any influence with the employer - I mean lets not try to multi task here - getting one thing right seems to be beyond their capabilities at this moment in time.

totally agree,with limited resources and financial difficulties within the union,we need to focus on the current state of play in Royal Mail but that dosnt mean we cant on paper support other workers in other countries meantime...what happens in vegas stays in vegas is an old saying because it has no relevance in the 21st century..if only the shipbuilding had stayed here,if only manufacturing jobs had stayed here if only sub prime debt in the USA had stayed there and if only the Labour Party had let bank debt stay with banks and not turned it into state debt..we are only an island in the geographical sense.

[dvbuk55]

...what happens in vegas stays in vegas is an old saying because it has no relevance in the 21st century.

It has every relevance because it means what happens elsewhere has no relevance to what is happening here......... and now.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

...what happens in vegas stays in vegas is an old saying because it has no relevance in the 21st century.

It has every relevance because it means what happens elsewhere has no relevance to what is happening here......... and now.

Really - check out the UPS/TNT merger going south - TNT shares world wide dip 49% today and there is a question of whether TNT would survive or not. Thats going to have a direct effect on the market in the UK if TNT do go to the wall, it may also affect the privatisation of RM. Undoubtedly there will also be some, as yet unknown effects for the Union as well.

[dvbuk55]

...what happens in vegas stays in vegas is an old saying because it has no relevance in the 21st century.

It has every relevance because it means what happens elsewhere has no relevance to what is happening here......... and now.

Really - check out the UPS/TNT merger going south - TNT shares world wide dip 49% today and there is a question of whether TNT would survive or not. Thats going to have a direct effect on the market in the UK if TNT do go to the wall, it may also affect the privatisation of RM. Undoubtedly there will also be some, as yet unknown effects for the Union as well.

TNT have been in trouble for some time and when the unknown becomes the known is when we need to worry about it. I don't think TNT have ever been a contender for RM it is more likely to be sold off piecemeal.........less chance of it being snatched back into public ownership.

[fishtank]

Personally i think it's very dangerous to take an insular view on any political issues.
For example it would be easy for those in work to look at the recent benefit cuts and think it does not affect them.

The truth is the cuts in benefits are not only designed to save money from the benefits bill they are more importantly designed to remove or at least reduce the safety net for workers making losing your job a far more frightening experience draining the fight from the working man/woman and ensuring a low paid highly "motivated" workforce.

Promoting insular and divisive attitudes is a very common trick played on the working classes,the EU,immigration,Skivers Vs Strivers...all boogeymen promoted by those with most to gain from seeing us divided....sad really that we still fall for it..