Sussex uni students pass motion of support for posties

[Matti]

Alright all, just wanted to pass on the message that in response to reports of Liverpool students being used as scab labour in the strike, the University of Sussex Students' Union has just passed a motion in support of the striking postal workers. Here's the motion in full and soon I should have a copy of a letter being sent to the Liverpool students' unions so I'll stick that up here too. Well done to everyone that's held out so long, and keep fighting!

Motion to support the ongoing postal-workers strike and educate students about union action

This Union notes:
● That Royal Mail workers have been engaging in an industrial dispute of significant importance.
● That these workers are defending their work rights and conditions from a direct attack on the part of the Royal Mail bosses.
● That temporary work agencies have been recruiting students to fill in for striking postal workers, thus recruiting them as strike breakers.
● That in Liverpool around 300 students have been recruited for this purpose.

This Union believes:
● That it is the right of any worker or workers to defend their workplace and their conditions of work.
● That the outcome of this strike might set a precedent for upcoming public services pay disputes.
● That workplace struggles are of direct concern to students because students are workers in formation. In this sense, the present defence of working conditions by workers is thus the defence of future working conditions of present students.
● That students should in no way undermine these struggles waged by workers, but to the contrary, if anything support these.
● That the actions of the Liverpool students are, whether the students were aware of what they were doing or not, detrimental to the struggle of the postal workers.
● That students lack education about the union movement and the attack on public services.
● That education about the ways in which temporary work can undermine strikes can prevent this from happening again.

This Union resolves:
● That it will sign a statement expressing solidarity with the striking Royal Mail workers and send a letter to Liverpool's SUs to raise concerns about the ways in which temporary work for students has undermined the postal workers' strike. (Wording to be agreed by Operations committee)
● That it will put out information explaining what scabbing is and why it should not be done in its Media, in order to prevent students from further undermining the ongoing postal workers' strike.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

It was actually John Moores University students who were used to scab. As far as I can find out, no University of Liverpool, Hope University or Edge Hill University students scabbed. The IWW Education Workers IU660 are producing a leaftet for students explaining what a scab is and why students shouldn't break strikes.
That's for your support Matti and all the best with your letter to Liverpool SU, who I understand have Tory members in many prominent positions.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Good one Matti thanks for posting that. Its good to know we have support amongst students.

[kingtubby]

YAY!! for Sussex Uni

[DirtyHarry]

Alright all, just wanted to pass on the message that in response to reports of Liverpool students being used as scab labour in the strike, the University of Sussex Students' Union has just passed a motion in support of the striking postal workers. Here's the motion in full and soon I should have a copy of a letter being sent to the Liverpool students' unions so I'll stick that up here too. Well done to everyone that's held out so long, and keep fighting!

Motion to support the ongoing postal-workers strike and educate students about union action

This Union notes:
● That Royal Mail workers have been engaging in an industrial dispute of significant importance.
● That these workers are defending their work rights and conditions from a direct attack on the part of the Royal Mail bosses.
● That temporary work agencies have been recruiting students to fill in for striking postal workers, thus recruiting them as strike breakers.
● That in Liverpool around 300 students have been recruited for this purpose.

This Union believes:
● That it is the right of any worker or workers to defend their workplace and their conditions of work.
● That the outcome of this strike might set a precedent for upcoming public services pay disputes.
● That workplace struggles are of direct concern to students because students are workers in formation. In this sense, the present defence of working conditions by workers is thus the defence of future working conditions of present students.
● That students should in no way undermine these struggles waged by workers, but to the contrary, if anything support these.
● That the actions of the Liverpool students are, whether the students were aware of what they were doing or not, detrimental to the struggle of the postal workers.
● That students lack education about the union movement and the attack on public services.
● That education about the ways in which temporary work can undermine strikes can prevent this from happening again.

This Union resolves:
● That it will sign a statement expressing solidarity with the striking Royal Mail workers and send a letter to Liverpool's SUs to raise concerns about the ways in which temporary work for students has undermined the postal workers' strike. (Wording to be agreed by Operations committee)
● That it will put out information explaining what scabbing is and why it should not be done in its Media, in order to prevent students from further undermining the ongoing postal workers' strike.

The support of the Sussex SU, is very much appreciated, Matti. Thank you.

[goinpostal]

thats excellent evidently students are campaigning against temp agencies on campus that are trying to recruit strikebreakers. Unity is our strength!

October 26: Unison local government workers ballot closes: possibly 850 million workers out on strike. bring it on!

[IWW Fellow Worker]

thats excellent evidently students are campaigning against temp agencies on campus that are trying to recruit strikebreakers. Unity is our strength!

Well, that's a lot more than some of the 'class warriors' have done. Mind you, I suppose getting involved with this type of dispute might mean getting their heads out of their AK press catalogues or their copies of Tribune, so there's not much chance of that happening. Good for those students I say. Nice to see the youth of today taking an interest.

[DGP1]

thats excellent evidently students are campaigning against temp agencies on campus that are trying to recruit strikebreakers. Unity is our strength!

October 26: Unison local government workers ballot closes: possibly 850 million workers out on strike. bring it on!

Holy crap 850 million 12-14% of the worlds population out on strike but it probably still won't include our spineless managers

[DanteSH]

October 26: Unison local government workers ballot closes: possibly 850 million workers out on strike. bring it on!

Holy crap indeed, alas I think that this is a typo.

Even india (which has national strikes of around 50 million people) can't compete with that!

However the point is valid, united strike action across the public sector is not just a good idea, it is necessary to defeat the Brown governments attacks.

[goinpostal]

ha well spotted, i knew i could exagerate but thats one helluva porkie! sorry!

[IWW Fellow Worker]

If anyone feels like a laugh, here's a great thread on the subject of our young friends at Sussex University.

http://libcom.org/forums/news/sussex-st ... s-20102007

The Sussex University Students Union come in for far more stick from this bunch of boring bastards for supporting us than the JMU strike breakers got for strike breaking. I must be missing something here, but I would have thought they've got this arse about face.

[catch]

Given the role of the CWU leadership over the past few months (and let's face it, years) I think trying to explain the pitfalls of working through union bureaucracies is fair enough - not that that thread is a good example but there's some sense behind all the abuse. For actual discussion of the post strike see this thread.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Given the role of the CWU leadership over the past few months (and let's face it, years) I think trying to explain the pitfalls of working through union bureaucracies is fair enough - not that that thread is a good example but there's some sense behind all the abuse. For actual discussion of the post strike see this thread.

I'll be a bit slower in criticising the CPGB for waffling about other organisations while sitting on their arses doing nothing after this. Speaking as a member of the working class, if I was in a tight spot and had to choose someone to watch my back, I'd be getting one of those kids from Sussex before relying on some of those space cadets on libcom.

[devrim]

I haven't really posted anything on here as I don't live in the UK. I have read things on here, and kept up with your strikes. I worked as a postman in South West London for about five years in the 80s, and was involved in various strikes including the 1989 national strike.

I don't think that it is wrong to question the worth of a students union motion in support of the strike. The motion had two resolutions:

● That it will sign a statement expressing solidarity with the striking Royal Mail workers and send a letter to Liverpool's SUs to raise concerns about the ways in which temporary work for students has undermined the postal workers' strike. (Wording to be agreed by Operations committee)

To me while it is all very nice to wish people well, one has to ask if this really has any worth, strike are not won by expressions of goodwill, but by action. It seems to be a basic principal in the UK trade union movement that it is necessary to get the public on your side. It didn't do the miners much good, did it? It may give a small moral boost, but I even doubt that. If we ever got any messages of support when I was on strike at the P.O., our Branch Sec never read them out.

● That it will put out information explaining what scabbing is and why it should not be done in its Media, in order to prevent students from further undermining the ongoing postal workers' strike.

So what this means is that a students union at the other end of the country is going to put out a leaflet to tell people that scabbing is a bad thing. Apart from the fact that it will probably never be done now that the strike is over, and apart from the fact that it is not going to effect the place where students were scabbing, one would think that the students who were bused in probably had a bit of an idea that scabbing was considered to be a bad thing by some people, and that is why they needed to be escorted in by the police.

Libcom is a political board where people argue about politics. It is not surprising that there were people who considered this action non-productive. That does not mean that they are not against people who are scabbing. In fact if we look at Libcom, we can see copies of leaflets that have been produced by Libcom to argue against people crossing picket lines (in English, and Polish, which may explain things to some people who aren't completely aware of what is happening).

The unions have screwed over the workers in this dispute, exactly the same as they did when I was a striking postman in 1989. In those days I remember Billy Hayes talking a lot more radical. Everybody can see what he is doing now. I think that is unsurprising that people are criticising the idea that going through the unions can solve workers, or students problems. I have been on strike about a dozen times in my life. The union has never organised one of them*. I have been sent back to work by them on many occasions though. In fact in 1989, after all of Mike Hogans lies about 'London sticking together, and going back as one', they sent us back, and left Romford (I think) out on their own. And when we got back, to add insult to injury, they deducted our union subs for the time we had been on strike from our wages.

It is hardly surprising that people are questioning whether unions can do anything for us now.

Devrim

*I was on holiday during the one day strike over DRAS in 1989.

[goinpostal]

The student union resolution is useful if it backs up efforts to build solidarity on campuses, including stopping temp operations that are trying to recruit student strikebreakers, or is used to challenge the media to provide a fair debate etc. If it doesnt do that, it is still a step but doesn't fulfill its potential. It is a piece of paper, just like libcom leaflets if noone hands them out or acts on them.