Public services
A & E 24hrs Getting a retaliation in first: staff at Whipps Cross Hospital show their opposition to job cuts тиси NO TO A postal worker The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has given Royal Mail until June 23 to respond to its demand that it re-open talks on this year's pay settlement (Royal Mail imposed its offer), guarantees that pensions will be safeguarded, resolve outstanding etticiencv issues and enter serious talks about the future of Royal Mail.
If the union does not receive an 'acceptable' response by that date, there will be a ballot for industrial action. An emergency motion (from the Postal Executive) to this effect was passed at CWU conference.
For some time it has been clear that Royal Mail management has been trying to undermine the union and the workforce's ability to collectively determine pay and conditions.
In the context of the 'marketisation' of postal services, management's vision is to automate as much of the process as possible, dispensing with a large proportion of the workforce involved in sorting and introducing widespread part-time deliveries.
In addition they would like to see the privatisation of Royal Mail, although for that they have to convince the government.
To soften up the workforce, and sideline the union, they have given bribes in the form of the 'Share in Success' scheme, paying out lump sums of €1,000 last year and another £400 in 2006 when Royal Mail hit its profit targets. They have refused all attempts by the union to discuss this scheme.
At the same time they have refused substantial increase in basic pay, which remains about f80 a week less than the national average.
Earlier this year, after ballots for strike action in many offices over attempts to unilaterally impose job cuts and part-time working, the union reached a national agreement whereby in exchange for negotiated job cuts
workers would receive a lump sum at the local level according to the savings made and an increase in basic pensionable pay nationally, the amount depending on the level of cuts. It was left to local sorting and delivery offices to negotiate the level of cuts.
This agreement was fraught with difficulties. Beyond the principle that the union should not have been in the business of selling jobs in the first place, the fact that the level of cuts to be made has been left to local negotiation has produced all kinds of problems.
These range from pressure on union reps from management and regional union officials to make more cuts than they want, to an inability of management to come up with clear answers as to what the payouts will be - one of the demands now being put on
Further, that agreement only ran until May 30, and there have been reports of managers in some offices trying to impose further cuts since.
Aware that if there is to be a namonal surike Dallol, It Is crucial that it achieves an emphatic 'yes' vote, the union has been putting a lot of effort into information to the members on what is at stake
The last time there was a national strike ballot - over pay in 2003 - it was lost by a narrow margin. Management tried to use that opportunity to impose draconian new working conditions and was only stopped in its tracks by widespread unofficial action.
This time around management would hope to do better. No doubt there will be some 'dirty tricks' from management in the run up to, and during, the conduct of the ballot.
It is possible they will announce the increase to be paid from the savings at some timely point, and try to prevent branches holding meetings about the ballot on Royal Mail premises.
Management will probably wait until the outcome of the ballot before responding, but a commitment to 'talk' should not be sufficient for the union to call off strike action.
Important as the payment ot monies owing and re-opening negotiations this year's pay settlement are, the crucial issues involved are about the future of the industry - there should be no more deals involving the selling of jobs and the union must stick To Is communent or ootaning a 35 hour week.
We are still waiting for an announcement as to whether the government will agree to Alan Leighton's proposal to issue shares to the workforce (maybe they are waiting on the result of the ballot too...). Management's vision is to automate as much of the process as possible, dispensing with a large proportion of the workforce involved in sorting, and introducing widespread part-time deliveries.
While the union has done a lot of work on this in terms of information to the members, getting large numbers of MPs to sign an Early Day Motion against the scheme etc, there is not a word to be said about how the union will react if (when?) the government makes such an announcement.
On the opening up of the postal market to competition, the background to the drive by Royal Mail for job cuts and automation, the union has done little other than verbal protest.
Yet without tackling this big issue, the threat to jobs and conditions will continue.