CWU presses Royal Mail harder

Royal Mail postal workers in the Communication Workers Union (CWU) struck again on 24 and 25 November, with further strikes set for 30 November and 1, 9 and 11 December.

Despite some frustration with perceived recent missteps by the union, that led to a series of previously planned strikes being called off, the action has remained solid and impactful, and the dates called in December represent an attempt to use postal workers’ industrial leverage at a crucial time of the year. Royal Mail attempted to use private couriers from the Ryde app to help break the strike, but a number of Ryde couriers refused to cross CWU picket lines.

The CWU’s fight consists of two disputes being fought in parallel, one over pay, and another over terms and conditions. The union ran two separate ballots. Royal Mail are determined to link any pay rise to acceptance of changes to terms and conditions, which include massive job cuts and a move towards what the union has called a “gig economy” model, which Royal Mail believes is necessary to compete with app-based courier companies. Many postal workers say the fight over terms and conditions is of greater immediate significance than the fight over pay.

The union has insisted it is not opposed to all potential change within Royal Mail. A recent letter from CWU leader Dave Ward to Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson stated that the union had “put forward an alternative plan” for the future of the company in negotiations at conciliation service Acas. The letter says the union will be sending its plan directly to the other members of the Royal Mail board.

CWU activists say the union’s counter-proposals have been read out to members at gate meetings and are posted on union notice boards. Some are straightforward, such as a demand for no compulsory redundancies. Others, like the call for an “alternative vision and strategy” for Royal Mail are vaguer.

Any such plan should be the result of democratic discussion and decisions at the rank-and-file level of the union, rather than something into which only full-time officials or the Executive have had input. And negotiating officials should not make or agree specific proposals for changes to working conditions that rank-and-file members have not scrutinised and approved.

The CWU regularly poses the dispute in terms of postal workers needing to “stand by their union”, figuring the union as something external to the workers, and whose efforts on their behalf they need to support. As strikes continue through December, socialists and other rank-and-file radicals in the CWU need to fight for a different conception, one in which rank-and-file workers themselves determine the direction, demands, and strategy for the dispute.

“Strings attached to pay offer are unacceptable”

A postal worker and CWU activist spoke to Solidarity

The strikes remain solid at my workplace. Of around 550, only around 30 went in [on 24/25 November]. There is frustration around the lack of progress in the dispute, but that is translating into an ongoing resolve to keep fighting.

We’ve now had proposals for a local realignment of duties, which would lead to 66 jobs going. We discussed this at a gate meeting today (29 November). Previously, we’d been negotiating around proposals for a restructure that would have actually increased the headcount. But it’s clear Royal Mail management wants to impose cuts.

The union’s position is communicated to members via gate meetings. CWU’s demands include a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies, a joint review of the sick pay policy rather than imposed changes, and the removal of Royal Mail’s proposals for annualised hours. Overall we want an understanding that any changes will be negotiated rather than imposed. The union has also said we want an “alternative vision and strategy” for the company.

Of course we want an above-inflation pay increase too, but many workers feel more strongly about the terms and conditions element of the dispute. Royal Mail says their pay offer equates to nine percent; that’s not really the case, but even if it was a real nine per cent, the strings attached to it, in terms of job cuts and changes to our working conditions, are simply unacceptable.