The article in Solidarity 609 is an interesting contribution to the debate going on within the CWU [Communication Workers’ Union], but it is wrong on several levels.
As an activist within the union for many years I am very familiar with the positions taken by its leaders and the discussions around the union’s political strategy. In the time Labour was in office there was a lot of criticism of their approach to Royal Mail which was a publicly owned body throughout their 13 years as a government. The stance taken by Dave Ward during that period was a reflection of the anger felt by postal workers who were under attack. As General Secretary Billy Hayes defended the Labour link unconditionally on the basis it brought influence. This “influence” resulted in thousands of job losses, numerous office closures, increased workloads and the closure of the final salary pension scheme.
As for the campaign against Royal Mail privatisation, this was actually won by activists not the General Secretary. During this period motions on disaffiliation were presented to annual conference and were always opposed by the NEC [National Executive] - an NEC which included Dave Ward.
The 2015 General Secretary election resulted in Billy Hayes being defeated because his 14 years in the job were viewed negatively by the membership, a membership that had dropped substantially in that time. Since taking over Dave Ward hasn’t got everything right, but he has attempted to grapple with the many problems facing the union, not least the issue of recruitment and organising. In the political sphere he deserves credit for getting the CWU behind Corbyn - this in contrast to his predecessor who resisted all attempts to nominate John McDonnell in the 2007 Labour leadership election.
The 7-9 November CWU conference presents the union with an opportunity to debate the way forward in a number of key areas, not just politics. For me the most pressing one is, how does the CWU recruit more workers into the organisation, rebuild at the grassroots, and survive as an independent force?
CWU member, Sussex
