www.socialistworker.co.
uk
Strikes planned for 22 and 23 October...
support the
postal workers
A
ROUND 120,000 postal
workers across Britain are to
strike on Thursday 22 October
(mail centres) and Friday 23 October
(deliveries). This fightback is crucial
for everyone.
It is part of a much bigger war—over
public services, jobs, union rights,
and pay and conditions at work. It’s
about who will be made to pay for the
economic crisis.
A victory for the postal workers
would show everyone that resistance is
possible and that workers can win. It
would help develop the strength needed
to beat back the assaults. A defeat
would encourage further attacks.
Pampered politicians, both Labour
and Tory, are bidding to see who can
force us to work the longest before
claiming a measly state pension.
They both want to slash billions of
pounds from public spending while they
lecture workers to accept redundancies,
pay freezes and assaults on benefits.
Postal workers must not be left on
their own to face the bosses, and the
politicians that stand behind them.
Their enemies in management,
government and the media will unite in
an effort to crush them.
Our side must unite, so that the postal
workers win.
Read the FACTS here about the
dispute:
What is it about?
Postal workers voted 76 percent for
strikes on a 67 percent turnout.
Postal workers do a hard job, often
starting around 5.30am, in all weathers
and over six days a week.
Royal Mail bosses and the
government are putting relentless
demands for profit and cost-cutting
before the public service. It is them who
are wrecking the service.
Royal Mail is slashing tens of
thousands of jobs and driving down pay,
earnings, pensions and conditions.
Royal Mail is trying to break union
organisation so they can ram through
changes without consideration to the pension scheme.
service or the workers. Just 13 Royal Mail bosses have
Royal Mail is imposing unfair work shared more than £10 million in
rates to meet unrealistic demands— bonuses for implementing “cost-cutting
chaos management creating workloads measures” since 2002-3.
that people cannot cope with.
There is a vicious bullying managerial Isn’t there less mail?
culture. Royal Mail claims there has been a 10
percent decline in mail volumes.
What do the workers want? The company also claims there have
Sustainable full-time jobs, and no been over 40,000 job losses.
compulsory redundancies. If that’s true, then 30 percent fewer
A shorter working week rather than workers are handling only 10 percent
job cuts, and more time away from less mail.
work, including weekends. So Royal Mail’s figures mean workers
Workload based on fairness so that are now working harder than ever.
postal workers can cope.
An end to bullying. What can we do to help?
A pay rise to reflect Royal Mail’s We need to create networks of solidarity
£321 million profits, and a decent in every area.
Organise delegations from workplaces,
universities and colleges to the picket
Back the strikes lines.
Flood in donations and messages of
Give cash to the hardship fund yourself
and collect in your workplace, college, support to the strikers.
school or community. Ask your Socialist Set up support groups in every area to
Worker seller for a collection sheet, show support for the strike.
and send money to: CWU National The whole movement must swing
Hardship Fund: c/o Tony Kearns, Senior behind the members of the CWU union
deputy general secretary, CWU, 150 The when mass pickets are needed to stop
Broadway, Wimbledon SW19 1RX. Cheque management’s ­scabbing operation.
payable to ‘Postal Workers Support Fund’.
You can pay the money in directly to The resistance at workplaces such as
Visteon, Linamar, Lindsey oil refinery,
Unity Trust Bank account no: 20194129,
branch sort code: 08 60 01. For the Vestas, Leeds bins and Tower Hamlets
College has given new hope to the
London CWU hardship fund, pay to account
working class. Now let’s get a national
20232065, branch sort code 08 60 01.
victory for the postal workers.
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