get the strikes backon we can win much more

A
gain this week, cwu leaders reached the deadline for concluding a deal and announced another extension to continue talks. The detail is still unclear. We can see from what CWU has sent out in this weeks LTB that theres been some progress. No wonder. Royal Mail bosses are keen to convince our union not to strike. They know we have a massive YES vote for strikes, and they felt the anger in the room at the Bimingham meeting in Septemberthats shifted them. They dont want to get into a position where strikes take place as they would have to budge further. Many members have questions about whats in the deal and whether it is enough to pull our action. Dave Ward said at one stage we were aiming for 10 years of legal protections, and that three years was a ticking time bomb. If the offer is five years, this is clearly an improvement, but could strikes not force Royal Mail further? We know theres been an improved pay offer, and this shows what our collective strengtha huge YES vote can do. But how improved is the pay deal? No one thinks CWU would sign up to a no strike deal pure and simple. But many are worried that elements of the deal may include processes that make it harder to strike. Any deal that does this should be rejected outright.

If the deal isnt good enough, CWU should...

www.socialistworker.co.uk

CWU members on the picket line during the recent East Oxford delivery office strike

We should not accept less than what was initially outlined at the beginning of the dispute. Striking is the most effective weapon in our arsenal. We should be aware that bosses want to get to a point where wed have to re-ballot to strike. Big parcel companies threatened to withdraw Christmas contracts if the dispute wasnt resolved. Royal Mail are under pressure. Lets recognise the leverage we have in the busy Christmas period.

Consider

Members

Its important to recognise that through a fantastic strike vote, CWU members forced Royal Mail to make some concessions. This shows the power of our union and the importance of being organised. Had strikes been called while negotiations went on, this would have increased pressure on the bosses and could have shifted them even further. Its still not too late to do that. Instead, theres the risk of draining momentum at a critical moment, by not calling action when the ins and outs of the deal are still unknown to members. We face major challenges under privatisation and will continue to have big fights on our hands to defend our conditions and to defend our union organisation. Thats why the question of where we draw the line in this dispute is so crucial.

But if members have to wait until the New Year to consider the deal, and think that more can be won, strikes next year can still be effective. Remember our strike vote. It should give our leaders confidence that members are up for a serious fight over pay, pensions and workload and are enraged by the privatisation. There are currently hundreds of thousands of workers potentially moving into battle against the Tories and the bosses. Next week, across Britain university and college workers are striking together over pay.

In the New year, teachers are set to strike nationally too. And this week saw the announcement of savage attacks across the London Undergroundand the RMTs decision to ballot all grades for strikes across the network. Unions have the strength to take the Tories onand members are clearly willing to fight back. We need to build networks to put pressure for a strategy that can win. In CWU, reps voted at the policy forum to ensure that any offer is put to a special conference so members can discuss it.

Possible

Activists and branches should push to make sure this happens if our union leaders announce a deal next week. Its right to recognise concessions and that Royal Mail have shifted, but we shouldnt hold back in calling more action if the deal falls short of what we set out to win, and what it is possible to win. If this is the case, we should push for CWU to get strikes back on, escalate and link up with others to beat back the Tories.

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