CWU

Communication Workers' Union

CWU Prepares For War

By Pete Keenlyside, CWU Postal Executive (personal capacity) THE CWU has given notice to Royal Mail management that if acceptable progress has not been made on a range of outstanding issues within the next four weeks, a ballot for industrial action will be implemented among the entire CWU membership in the business. The anger caused by management’s imposition of this year’s pay deal was reflected in the emergency motion, carried unanimously, presented to the CWU annual conference held last week. This labelled their actions “an act of union derecognition” and called for the reopening of the pay...

Communication Workers vote on Labour leadership

AT this year’s Communication Workers’ Union conference, delegates will have an opportunity to lay down a marker for the next Labour Party leadership election. A motion proposed by London and Manchester branches calls for the CWU to “only nominate, support or encourage members to vote for candidates in the next Labour Party leadership election who support the principles of Trade Union Rights as outlined in the proposed Trade Union Freedom Bill and are also committed to keeping the Post Office in 100% public ownership”. It also calls for CWU-sponsored MPs to nominate a candidate who meets this...

Postal workers fight jobs cuts

by Mike Southerden ROYAL Mail's latest drive to slash jobs is continuing apace, but is meeting with rank and file resistance in some areas. Management (with the collusion of union officials) are deploying every method of bullying and bribery to try and get staff to agree to “efficiency savings” by the end of May. Delivery workers at Mount Pleasant were told by CWU officials to expect about 50 job cuts (mostly on nights). If they were agreed, the remaining staff would be receiving 40% of the savings. If they voted “no”, the cuts would be implemented anyway and they would get nothing. Some...

CWU debates sell-off threat

At this year's Communication Workers’ Union conference (Bournemouth, from 21 May), there is an issue that will not go away - the proposed privatisation of Royal Mail in the form of share options for staff. Royal Mail boss Allan Leighton has sent a semi-legal letter to all staff asking them to register an interest in share issues. This is despite no final decision being taken by the Government and the necessity of an act of Parliament in order for shares to be issued at all. Over 200 Labour MPs have signed an Early Day Motion opposing the sellng off of any part of Royal Mail. The CWU has been...

BT - Media and Broadcast win

On the eve of taking strike action against the compulsory transfer of satellite broadcasting staff to a company owned by Barclays private equity, CWU members won agreement that any transfers would be voluntary. Staff were worried that with future technological change any compulsory transfers would in time lead to mass redundancies from the new company. The agreement was brokered the evening beforestrike was to start, action that would have affected major sporting events over the weekend. The vote for action was overwhelming, approximately nine to one, and included both staff who were earmarked...

CWU members say: no shoo-in for Brown!

The London Region of the post and telecom region CWU is putting the following motion to the 2006 CWU conference: "That the CWU will only nominate,support or encourage members to vote for, candidates in the next Labour party leadership election who support the principles of trade union rights as outlined in the proposed Trade Union Freedom Bill and are also committed to keeping the Post Office in 100% public ownership".

Fair pay for all

Workers for ipsl, a financial services company based in Bootle are threatening strike action. The dispute is about divisive treatment on redundancy terms and pensions enhancements and the introduction of new productivity targets. There is due to be job losses in the future and there are differential terms for ex Alliance and Leicester and HSBC staff. The disputed terms are part of an overall package on pay that was rejected in a consultative ballot (run by the unions but demanded by the management) by 483 to 3. The unions concerned, CWU, PCS and AMICUS expect 24 hour stoppages in the coming...

Fight privatisation of the post

By a postal worker The Communication Workers’ Union held a national meeting on 27 October in Leeds to discuss its campaign against the threat of Post Office privatisation. So far 153 Labour MPs (and nine others) have signed Parliamentary Early Day Motion 548, calling for the Post Office to remain 100 percent in public ownership. The union needs a campaign of mass activity if they are to make a succes of it. This is particularly important since both Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton and Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Alan Johnson are proposing giving postal workers shares in the...

TUC Congress to discuss women's rights in Iraq

The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) has submitted the following resolution to TUC Congress, to be held in Brighton from 12th to 15th September. Women's Rights in Iraq Congress notes the draft Iraqi Constitution that was issued on the 23rd August and will now be subject to a national referendum. Congress expresses its deepest concern over the proposed restrictions on women's civil rights due to the inclusion of provisions for religious codes within the draft Constitution, including Sharia law. Congress further condemns the current and continuing rape, kidnapping and murder of women in Iraq...

Rally against privatisation

The Communication Workers’ Union is holding a national mass meeting against privatisation, in the face of postal regulator Postcomm’s decision to open up all parts of the service to competition in January 2006, Competitors will be able to pick and choose which of the Royal Mail’s services they will offer, but strict regulation of Royal Mail will leave it weak in the face of competition, leading to job losses. The decision to allow this to happen was taken by Postcomm, which was created by the government in order to push through the Blairite privatisation agenda. Tony Benn said at a rally on 20...

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