POSTAL PRIVATISATION These are interesting times for our Postal members. In the Post Office, Royal Mail and Parcelforce members are angry and ready for action. We are all aware of the threat to the PO network and the dangers posed by privatisation. The recent RM consultative ballot returned massive support for the CWU’s position. We are OPPOSED to privatisation – 96% We are OPPOSED to the unfair pay deal on offer – 99% We are OPPOSED to the proposals to change our pensions We SUPPORT the boycott of competitors’ mail – 92% We SUPPORT the policy of non-co-operation on workplace changes – 92%. The consultative ballot in Parcelforce gave very similar results. The announcement by the ConDem government that it intends to go ahead with its proposed privatisation of Royal Mail comes as no real surprise despite the fact that poll after poll shows no support in the country for this move. North, south, east or west; Tory, Labour, Liberal or UKIP there is always a majority opposed to selling off what we already own. At the recent lobby of parliament Labour MPs and shadow cabinet ministers were queuing up to give their passionate support but it seems that when they have a TV camera or journalist in front of them it’s a different story. Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, when asked if Labour would renationalise the Royal Mail if they won the next election, replied that he would not be able to write a blank cheque to turn the privatisation around. Or in other words “No”. Yet the City and private investors have stated they would not buy the shares if this was Labour’s manifesto commitment, and so there would be no need for a blank cheque and the decision would cost no money. If the party we give a lot of financial support to won’t return that support in actions not words then it’s up to us to ensure the message comes through loud and clear. Potential investors beware! – the CWU membership will not lie down and accept this without a big fight It is clear there is an appetite amongst our Postal members to take action to defend our jobs. In the Post Office support for IA has not only held steady, it has increased in the face of the arrogance and intransigence of PO management. Our members in the Post Office have undertaken 11 bouts of industrial action over a five-month period. The campaign not only seeks to overturn an unagreed pay freeze but also to protect Crown Post Offices all over the country threatened with closure. A company which made £94 million profit last year and paid out £15.4 million in bonuses to senior managers, including a 37 per cent increase to CEO Paula Vennells - raising her earnings to £697,000 - claims it cannot afford any increase to its front-line staff, our members. PO Counter staff, not generally known for any militant tendencies, has seen the hypocrisy of this; they know that they make massive contributions to that profit, and are no longer prepared to stand for it. A further ballot delivered a near 90% vote in favour of action short of a strike. This takes the campaign to a new level. The previous strike action was effective but hurt our members deep in the pocket. This new round on IA is designed to hurt the PO without further financial implications for our members. In Royal Mail and Parcelforce it seems to be a given that the strike ballots will deliver a yes vote but we must not be complacent and take that for granted. Our Postal members are angry and fed up with being pushed around by a senior management style which treats us with disdain and lack of seriousness or respect. Those managers are in for a big surprise. We must, and we will, show them that we are serious about defending our jobs and the integrity of our businesses. We know that we have the public on our side. The government and RM/PO may not realise how well-loved these national institutions are but they are going to find out. Delegates to the National Policy Forum in London unanimously voted to ballot for industrial action. It is vital that there is a massive YES vote. It is equally vital that our members get proper leadership throughout this campaign. Strike action, when voted for, must be followed through completely and whole-heartedly. It will begin in the approach to Xmas and during the initial flotation period. There is no better time to get our message across loud and clear. There must be no bottling it this time, this is a fight to the end and we must see it through. If the government refuses to listen to the public then we must ensure potential investors realise what they would be taking on – we do not and never will accept the destruction of an institution purely for ideological reasons just to line the pockets of the big fat cats in the City of London who will asset-strip the business, destroy our jobs and leave an empty shell. And we are not alone. There is also an appetite in the country. The TUC Conference called for a mass campaign of civil disobedience and co-ordinated strike action to defeat the government’s austerity plans. We must fight back not just industrially but by building a mass movement, by building a social consensus, a coalition for change, amongst organised and unorganised workers, campaign groups, the People’s Assembly, churches and charities, as well as direct action and grassroots organisations.” This has to be one thing that we are all in together FOR DIGNITY AND RESPECT IN THE WORKPLACE JOIN THE BROAD LEFT AND JOIN THE CAMPAIGN FOR A FIGHTING LEADERSHIP To join the Broad Left please email: thebroadcast@btinternet Website: broadleft.org.uk find us on facebook under the Broadcast group and Fightback name Twitter @cwubroadleft
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 14:52:24 +0000
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