CWU bureaucracy bottles it.

[t-c]

Taken from Workers Power.


CWU bureaucracy bottles it
Lobby CWU leaders to reject this deal and demand a return to strike action
Lobby CWU leaders to reject this deal and demand a return to strike action

• Dave Ward and Billy Hayes agree deal Friday evening
• Postal Executive Committee to vote on it Monday morning

After a successful week of industrial action, wildcat walk-outs, and with the coming week’s rolling strikes threatening to add yet more to the 200 million item backlog of mail, Dave Ward and Billy Hayes have bottled it. After a court ban on next week’s strikes they have caved in and cut a deal, the details of which they have refused to publish so far. Instead it will go straight to the Postal Executive Committee at 2 pm on Monday for a vote where newspapers are saying it is likely to be accepted. This is undemocratic, members have a right to know what is in store for us and pressure the PEC’s decision.

We spoke to a rep in a Leeds office where the detail of the agreement was read out on Saturday morning by management, who had received it from Royal Mail:

“The deal was read out by our manager Saturday morning, what he said was that pay would be 5.4% this year, but it would NOT be backdated to April so its worth half that! We will get another 1.5% rise in April 2008 which means a crap rise next year. It is almost as bad as the original pay offer. He read out what had been accepted in terms of flexibility and it sounds like almost all of Royal Mail’s demands have been agreed, the later start times, longs and shorts [longer shifts on heavy days and shorter shifts on lighter days to cut down on overtime though these break the 3.5 hour delivery limit laid down by health and safety agreements between the union and Royal Mail], the rest of flexibility is to come in in January 2008 with annualised hours, moving people to different jobs as needed and covering the walks of those on annual leave or sick. The only concession is that this is separated from a pensions deal which will be negotiated in the Spring. Its terrible, in our office all the people who have been solid for the whole strike could not believe it, they cannot believe that the union has folded so quickly, the pay deal would not even make up the £500 we have lost so far! They felt our sacrifice had been wasted. The strike breakers were saying ‘I told you so’ and going on about how we went on strike for nothing. 96% of CWU members in the North East went on strike last week losing 4 days of pay and we get this. Hayes and Ward have bottled it.â€

[luckyllama]

the strikes, they are hugely successful

[IWW Fellow Worker]

the strikes, they are hugely successful

as far as we can tell the opposite appears true - the strikes appear to have failed to win anything very much?

No, the strikes brought RM to the negotiating table. The PEC were responsible for us not winning anything much.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

the strikes, they are hugely successful

as far as we can tell the opposite appears true - the strikes appear to have failed to win anything very much?

I am of the other persuasion. I think the strikes were very successful. Why.

1. In the first instance they made RM aware of the depth of feeling of their own workforce.
2. They Forced Royal Mail to the negotiating table.
3. They made Royal Mail compromise and come up with a deal, that, on the surface, appears to be have the backing of a majority of the PEC.

However, if the deal is not that good which we all suspect, then that is the fault of the negotiating team and not of the strikers or strikes.

[t-c]

Wrong.
The strikes themselves WERE successful, and had a huge impact. Its the CWU leaders that have failed to succeed.

[jafferpants]

What a coincidence the time the cwu took to put this to the member's means that by the time the ballott has been completed if the offer was rejected the cwu would then have to re ballott the members for strike action. which means that because of the time it would take xmas would have gone along with the best chance we had to screw these bastards. Makes you wonder about conspiricy theories dos'nt it.

[F0zziebear]

Just like in George Orwell's animal farm!

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Just like in George Orwell's animal farm!

A lot like it. Escpecially that bit at the end where you can't tell who is a pig and who is a human.

[MOVER]

Well what a surprise our illustrious leaders of the CWU have been well and truly ambushed by Royal Mail,aided and abetted with this totally dishonest Labour Government together with the High Court.
This deal is an insult to all my colleagues in Royal Mail Group who have sacrificed pay and allowances just to be used as a political football,Leighton and Crozier should be ashamed of their part in this shambles bringing Royal Mail to it's knees over the past years through totally inept financial and operational management with regard to allowing Postcomm to dictate totally unrealistic commercial prices to enable our "competitors"???? to dump their products into our system and we deliver it door to door nationwide at a loss. I trust the Leighton & Co enjoy their fat cats bonus this Christmas.
Finally fellow slaves don't forget when the CWU elections come around who wants to be voted back in,and when we are asked to give a little bit more during the Christmas rush we remember what our Lord & masters said"We don't work hard enough". Do the job but forget the extra mile!!!!