Workers' Liberty

Royal Mail management in London have started to make small concessions to postal workers, agreeing in some units to “re-sign” jobs — that is, to allow workers to choose which tasks to sign up to. Previously management had been unilaterally allocating duties.

According to a report from the National Shop Stewards Network, the London Divisional Committee of the CWU has called unanimously for the Postal Executive Committee to call new strike action when it me

On 18 November CWU postal workers’ union leader Dave Ward sent out a letter to union branches about the “Interim Agreement” made with Royal Mail bosses by the union leaders on Thursday 5 November. Responding to widespread rank and file anger against the deal, Ward wrote that “genuine problems persist” and “the Postal Executive [of the union] has agreed to review the position next Tuesday” [24 November].

Postal bulletin to be handed out at workplaces. Download the PDF

With the return to work on the basis of the “interim agreement”, where are?

At a national meeting of branch secretaries in London today [12 November], CWU deputy general secretary (postal) Dave Ward and the Postal Executive Committee appear to have taken a more militant tone than previously.

A postal worker solidarity meeting held by Battersea and Wandsworth Trades Council on 9 November was quite instructive, encouraging in some ways and discouraging in others.

As of the evening of Thursday November 5th, the CWU leadership has reached an agreement with Royal Mail bosses. In return for calling off the strikes for at least two weeks, management has agreed to 'negotiate' on a number of issues.

A picket at the Cubie Street Delivery Office in Glasgow on 31 October told Solidarity:

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Picket out the scab centres

Large numbers of casuals are being employed in an attempt to break the strike. Under UK employment law, the use of agency staff as strikebreakers is illegal.

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Demand the Labour Government concede to the postal workers and sack Mandelson. Download pdf (see "attachment").

After the tremendous “Yes” vote in the national ballot, there can be no doubting the resolve of the membership to take management on and see the dispute through. The next step is to ensure that the strike is as strong as possible and organised so we can stand up to the tough trials ahead.

The way to do that is to keep the membership in the driving seat. A strike is stronger if the members are informed and active, rather than passively waiting on instructions coming from the executive.

Postal workers organised in the CWU union have voted overwhelmingly (76% on a turnout of nearly 70%) for national strike action against ongoing attacks by Royal Mail management against workers.

In the face of the mass scabbing operation Royal Mail is attempting to organise under the cover of hiring its Christmas casuals early, the CWU needs to act quickly and decisively, and the labour movement should back it up on the picket lines.

Two CWU activists from North East London spoke to Ed Maltby.

What is at the root of the dispute in Royal Mail?

The postal workers and their union the CWU are one of the most important bastions of well-organised workplace trade unionism which remains from the great build-up of trade unionism among blue-collar workers from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Members of the CWU post and telecom union in BT Openreach are being consulted again on a set of attendance pattern changes they have already rejected.

In 2007, Education Not for Sale took the lead in organising support for the national postal workers' dispute within the student movement.

In the face of the mass scabbing operation that Royal Mail is attempting to organise under the cover of hiring its Christmas casuals early, the CWU needs to act quickly and decisively, and the labour

Download the PDF.

Download the pdf.

Download pdf (see "attachment").

As postal workers await the results of their national ballot for strike action, due back on 8 October, regional strikes around the country have remained, in the words of one London postal worker, “very solid.”

Workers' Liberty members attended the picket at the Tredegar Road delivery office on Tuesday 29th of September. Over the past few weeks, AWL activists have attended the picket lines on strike days.

The CWU union's ballot of postal workers on national strike action over job cuts started on 17 September, and will finish on 8 October. We are expecting a very big yes vote in London. It could be closer nationally, but I'd still expect a yes majority.

Pete Firmin, a London postal worker, spoke to Solidarity about the post and telecom union CWU's campaign against job cuts in Royal Mail

Pete Firmin, a London postal worker, spoke to Solidarity about the post and telecom union CWU's campaign against job cuts in the post.

Leaflet for Thursday 3 September 2009.