N.London win/ CWU names days

Submitted by on 14 February, 2003 - 11:46

N. London win

Postalworkers in North London have forced a significant retreat by management over this year's Christmas Arrangements.
Managers were so incensed that some of us may have been finishing earlier than our extended paid hours last year that they were insisting that we sort a huge daily diversion of 200,000 letters from Mount Pleasant for no more money than last Christmas. This would have saved them having to hire 50 casuals. They refused to offer the work as paid overtime to volunteers in the usual manner. After nearly every one of the 22 North London offices rejected the deal and ran a strike ballot, management withdrew the diversion.

CWU names days

Two more strike days over London Weighting have been publicly named by the postal workers' union CWU: 19 and 22 December.

Whether this is anything more than a negotiating ploy by the CWU leaders remains to be seen. They were keen to emphasise that the recent unofficial strikes were "not about London Weighting", but the settlement made provision for the weighting (and National Basic Pay) to be included on the agenda of talks at the government arbitration service ACAS agenda.

Since then, a strike day was called off because of the talks and we have been told that Royal Mail has "put more money on the table".

It's hardly surprising if the company has managed to find some extra cash. They've just shelled out £1 million for the British Olympic Games committee.

But will it be enough to reward the sacrifices we have made during all the days we spent out on the cobbles? And if not, will the union's national and London leadership recommend we reject it and have a serious national fight over London Weighting and Basic Pay?

Also, now that we have seen a revival in the combativeness of the rank and file, isn't it time for a fight back against the threatened job cuts? The ACAS negotiations are due to conclude on 10 December.

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