Royal Mail workers were due to strike this week over pensions, working hours and job security. However, a court ruling declared the strike illegal, despite nearly 90% of union members voting to strike on a turnout of 73% Below, we reproduce the text of a leaflet distributed at delivery offices and mail centres throughout the West Midlands, written by CWU (Communication Workers Union) members.
In a marvellous show of determined resistance Royal Mail workers achieved an almost unheard of 90% support for action to stop RM management plans. No wonder! As management plans involve a full scale assault on all conditions, pay and pensions promised when Royal Mail was privatised - in reality, stolen by an ever smaller number of shareholders
Our fight is against the background of a market rigged by government after government against Royal Mail. Rigged in order to create a ‘gig economy’ race to the bottom.
So, Postal workers are right to fight back. Like the Brum Bin workers, we have decided enough is enough of Austerity where workers suffer cut after
cut to pay for the failings of the Fat Cats while they continue to fill their own pockets.
We should note the strong public support Bin workers -threatened with a £5,000 pay cut- received despite the rubbish on the streets. For sure, it surprised their bosses!
It indicates that should industrial action be needed, we too could build significant support. This is because so many other workers are having the same done to them and they too have had enough, so their sympathy is with the strikers. It’s also because in growing numbers the public oppose the robbery that is privatisation and support renationalisation of industries like Water, Rail &
Mail.
With what could be a bitter dispute looming, CWU should link the dispute to calls for Royal Mail to be renationalised as a step to a publicly owned postal and delivery industry, democratically run by workers and customers. Jeremy Corbyn’s General Election manifesto put the idea of public ownership back on the
political agenda by pledging to re-nationalise the likes of Royal Mail and the rail companies. His electoral success that denied the cocky Tories a majority, showed that policies such as these are popular with ordinary people who
increasingly see the failure of privatisation.
Running off to the courts, in fact showed the weakness of the bosses, terrified by the strength of feeling shown in the ballot. Also that it’s happening at a time when the Tory privatisers are in crisis and Jeremy Corbyn has popularised the idea of re-nationalisation.
Workers militant mood has seen a series of unofficial wildcat actions at RM offices recently. Many postal workers will consider national unofficial walkouts on the planned strike days. For sure, if it is built for, 110,000 postal workers taking
action together would show in practice how the anti-union laws can be defeated.
And acting together is the best way to ensure that members and reps are protected from any victimisation. And the best way to ensure that the CWU isn’t
isolated is for the TUC and the unions to organise practical support for RM workers and be prepared to call mass solidarity demonstrations and even
strikes in support.