We should strike now

[redrebecca]

https://workerspower.uk/postal-bosses-g ... -back-now/

After the latest round of Royal Mail executive action (unagreed, imposed changes) CWU Delivery Officer Mark Baulch explained in a video that the union was being responsible and not calling strikes right away, after our massive 97.6% yes vote for strike action over the company’s 2% pay rise.
But then in the same breath he said that Royal Mail was clearly not listening and intent on pushing forward with its plans to wreck our terms and conditions Davie Robertson Parcelforce CWU officer reported the same, where bot-like underlings with no power to negotiate show up every day to repeat the same arguments.

As if to confirm this, Royal Mail’s spreadsheet detailing later start and finish times office by office was released hours later, with some offices facing changed shifts by over two hours, offices staying open as late as 6:30pm! Besides ripping up family friendly hours that thousands of posties took the job for, how is it safe to deliver in the winter in the dark in many of the areas we work?
Royal Mail’s change of direction, now that they don’t need us to deliver the pandemic parcel bounty, is summarised by their nonsensical new story: Royal Mail has the best pay, terms and conditions in the sector and needs changes to keep it that way, BUT postal workers are overpaid by up to 40% above the market standard and underworked. The first is what we have now, fought for by postal workers not gifted by CEOs, the second is where they want us to head.

Executive Action

Royal Mail in the last couple of weeks has reacted to the ballot, a huge rejection by staff of their plans, by speeding them up.
First they announced a plan to go forward with an afternoon parcel service, which will suck parcels out of delivery offices and likely create a gig economy parcel delivery service. Then they informed the union of plans to bring agency workers into the offices starting this week, to get trained up (by workers!) to deliver throughout our strikes. Where workers feel confident enough we should refuse and sit in the canteen if management try to impose this.

Now they have dropped the bombshell that parcels from Royal Mail Group’s European arm GLS would be switched from Parcelforce to rival DPD to deliver instead, ‘for as long as is needed’ i.e. for the strike.

So why haven’t any dates been announced? Of course the union is worried that August is the month with the lowest traffic, and with only the pay ballot in the bag, and the second ballot on terms and conditions running till 17 August, no doubt they want to wait till that is in and give the two weeks notice for a September strike on all the issues.

British anti-union laws are so draconian, it’s possible that one home-made sign against the changes on terms and conditions, on a picket line legally only over pay, would send the company’s lawyers running to the courts for an injunction, which right wing judges could uphold on past form. So the union’s message is hold back, don’t rise to provocations, wait for the signal.

But the traffic isn’t that low. And when we struck in July-August 2007 within two days there was a mountain of mail and Royal Mail was soon begging for negotiations. Worse it gives management time to get their operation in place. Workers are right to ask the question, ‘when are we striking?’ and put pressure on our union leaders to bring the dates forward. When we do strike, one or two days here and there will just let Royal Mail off the hook, we need to start with a bang and then escalate quickly to put them on the ropes.

The Fight of our lives

Terry Pullinger says this is the fight of our lives which is absolutely true. This is about more than pay and terms and conditions, it is about busting the union too – what will be left to negotiate? Radical times call for radical rank & file measures.

Members’ meetings on the gate or offsite are crucial for workers to hear the union message clearly, feel our mass strength, and get ready for the picket line, especially for recent recruits.

Every office should set up a strike committee to ensure the shopfloor is solid and to stop management undermining the strike.

Local reps should call on branches to set up strike committees or meet up themselves. Linking up across offices and functions, from delivery offices to mail centres, means we can reinforce weak areas and coordinate action.

The leaders may call the first strike date but it is rank and file initiative that will power this strike. Grassroots organisation means workers can give union leaders’ initiatives full force – and take the initiative ourselves where they wobble or delay.

Renationalise Royal Mail now

CEO Simon Thompson has said that Royal Mail is at a crossroads. That’s true. Royal Mail privatisation will meet its end in a cut-throat GLS-style multinational parcels company and the end of the Universal Service Obligation. Or workers’ action can transform it into a renationalised company providing a high quality, countrywide, one-cost, letters-and-parcel service to the public.

Postal workers can expect a lot of support from the public and other unions. We are seen as a ‘big battalion’ with a record of standing up for ourselves and our fight is one that matters for the entire union movement and remaining public sector.

We will make that struggle more relevant and more powerful if the CWU links the strike to a struggle for renationalisation, something the rail unions and potentially others could join in, exposing the rotten costly services these sell-offs have created. Joint strike days could underline that message and begin to create the grounds for deeper coordination.

CWU leaders have avoided calling for renationalisation because ultimately they want to cut a deal with a private Royal Mail. Terry even went so far to say in Thursday’s video that the company should use GLS – which treats its workers terribly – to subsidise Royal Mail; he implied the ‘British public’ were being exploited by other countries!

That message is plain wrong; we are being exploited by mostly British bosses. It won’t inspire the public and Royal Mail bosses won’t fall for it either. They want GLS profits to be joined now by RM super-profits with all of it in their pockets! They want to run parcel deliveries as multinational enterprise, not a public service; the two are incompatible. The last ten years and postal privatisations in European countries prove that, with services cut and cut again.

It is time to part ways with Scott and Co and their shareholder puppeteers. That means hard-hitting strike action to defeat their plans, coupled to a political and industrial struggle for renationalisation. That’s the only sustainable alternative to the destruction of Royal Mail and the USO – and a race to the bottom for its workers and consumers.

[Clappedoutpostie]

It’s coming, rumour at our office is the first dates will be Saturday of the bank holiday and the Tuesday after.

[spen]

Thar saturday would be the 27th of August,,, the union have said no strike dates until the ballot result on the 17th of August,,, with the cwu needing to give 2 weeks notice of any strike dates makes it highly unlikely

[BenacreNick]

Well said RedRebecca, well said

[Clappedoutpostie]

Thar saturday would be the 27th of August,,, the union have said no strike dates until the ballot result on the 17th of August,,, with the cwu needing to give 2 weeks notice of any strike dates makes it highly unlikely

The strike date is after the ballot result and it is also longer than 2 weeks away. Obviously it could only be a strike on pay.

[clashcityrocker]

I thought the dates were being announced tomorrow?

[cobrakai]

Thar saturday would be the 27th of August,,, the union have said no strike dates until the ballot result on the 17th of August,,, with the cwu needing to give 2 weeks notice of any strike dates makes it highly unlikely

The strike date is after the ballot result and it is also longer than 2 weeks away. Obviously it could only be a strike on pay.

They are having a meeting tomorrow to decide. 2 weeks from then. The first ballot is alive now.

[theotherone]

My understanding 2 weeks notice from the 3rd of August is the 17th l.2nd ballot ends of 17th.We could give 2 weeks tomorrow and still be ok because the 2nd ballot would of closed by then.

[Mick100]

It’s been the easiest month of the year why strike now,I’d like to see a strike Black Friday through to Christmas that will really have impact

[Walter sobchak]

It’s been the easiest month of the year why strike now,I’d like to see a strike Black Friday through to Christmas that will really have impact

Tough one for me as although I agree with you about starting the strikes from Black Friday through to Xmas you’ve also got to strike whilst the iron is hot sought of speak and while the huge union mandate is fresh in the minds of the people who voted yes.

[Clappedoutpostie]

It’s been the easiest month of the year why strike now,I’d like to see a strike Black Friday through to Christmas that will really have impact

Because the changes will be imposed by then if we don’t act.

[Wolf91]

Regional has just said in ours this morning to our COM:
3 jobs removed from office; 8-4 starting in 12 weeks or manager is sacked and they will get someone is who will do it. Executive action gone nuclear…

[pieoftheday]

It’s been the easiest month of the year why strike now,I’d like to see a strike Black Friday through to Christmas that will really have impact

Not easy ere, packets galore

[casualnowwithangard]

Has anyone got access to the document detailing new times office by office

[priority102]

Regional has just said in ours this morning to our COM:
3 jobs removed from office; 8-4 starting in 12 weeks or manager is sacked and they will get someone is who will do it. Executive action gone nuclear…

Which proves that the COM's are just as trodden over as the workforce. We used to listen at how the then DOM's were spoken to on the conference calls and said at the time that if those on the other end of the phone spoke to us like that we'd tell them to stick things where the sun doesn't shine.

A Saturday strike may not have much effect at all given how many walks don't get delivered on a Saturday now anyway!