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all out 4 november then escalate to win

w
hat a fantastic strike vote! 78 percent voted YES to strike, and that was on a 63 percent turnout too. Now its all out for a solid, hard hitting strike on 4 November. This shows again that postal workers are up for a fight to over pay, pensions and workload and are enraged by the privatisation on Royal Mail. Our ballot result was announced on the same day that thousands of firefighters in the FBU marched through London against the Tories attack on the fire service and their pensions. They will strike for the second time on Saturday 19 October. The following day, on 17 October, tens of thousands of teachers across London, the south, the south west and north east of England struck to defend education and stop Goves assault on their pay. University workers across Britain will strike over pay on 31 October. And all this follows a 50,000 strong march on the Tory party conference last month. Meanwhile, the Tories have announced even more savage attacks on working class people. This can be a crucial turning point in the fight over privatisation, workload, pensions and pay in the post. The fight over conditions is intrinsically linked to privatisation. Its crazy to seperate these issues. Opposition to privatisation must remain at the heart of the campaign to turn the heat up on Labour to renationalise. The union mustnt blink first. We know that Royal Mail bosses are playing nasty. Already chief executive Moya Greene outrageously announced the company would award scabs a 300 payment! Rememberhard hitting strikes can win much more than anything Royal Mail may offer now.

After our fantastic vote for strikes...

Ready to strike: a mass gate meeting this week at a London mail centre

pic: Alan Kenny

hour contracts. In Royal Mail we are all guaranteed a minimum number of hours. Everyone knows Royal Mail bosses will try and wear down our union once we are in the private sector. Moya Greene got an absolute hounding at the big reps meeting in Birmingham last month.

Mobilise

Deputy general secretary Dave Ward has announced at a number of national meetings recently that if the CWU calls a 24 hour national strike then it will call a national demonstration and mobilise coaches. This would be a brilliant way to ratchet up the momentum. Doing this will be key to winning. Some reps have warned, there cannot be a re-run of the last national dispute in 2009, which was called off just as strikes had Royal Mail bosses on the ropes at the height of the busy Christmas period. In September, reps passed amendments

committing union leaders to put any offer to a policy forum/ special conference. CWU should throw everything at this fight, and look to coordinate with others striking. Hundreds of thousands of workers could be moving into battle this autumn. All these fights must come together. We need networks of activists to develop pressure for the strikes that can win the dispute, and to fight for deeper, coordinated resistance in the future.

Unite the Resistance National Conference: Organising to Win

Sat 19 Oct: 12 - 5pm

@Bloomsbury Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H

bakers union general secretary; Frank Morris, Crossrail dispute; plus speakers from disputes at Wigan Hovis; One Housing; Glasgow social care workers; and many more

Speakers: Billy Hayes CWU general secretary; Jeremy Corbyn MP; Ronnie Draper

Book online/more info@ uniteresist.org

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Heart

Reps and activists on the ground need to organise now to develop pressure for the kind of action that can win. Workers terms offered by TNT, Royal Mails private sector rival, shows what is at stake. TNT pay is 4.25 an hour less than basic pay for Royal Mail delivery staff. Many TNT workers are on zero

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