UNITED TRADE UNION ACTION TO STOP CUTS

addressed by Billy Hayes, demanding a national demon-

We also face attacks on the public services we all rely on
from the savage cuts in public spending announced by the
government and councils across the country.
Widespread, coordinated industrial action backed up by
movements of local communities and service users is
what’s needed to stop the cuts.
Our union must support all such movements and, as we did
so well on the March 26 demo, continue to play a full part
in anti-cuts campaigns. We should try to link our own
action with that of other Trades Unions.
A one day strike of Royal Mail members against privatisa-
tion on 30 June when other public sector workers will be
taking strike action would show the government that we
won’t accept attacks on Royal Mail lying down.
Whatever happens, CWU should support workers taking
action on June 30 and we should march with them on the
regional and city-wide demonstrations.
The TUC and many union leaders (with a few honourable
exceptions) have not been forceful enough in standing up
to this vicious government.
The National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN), which the
CWU supports, has organised pressure on union leaders to
take actions. It formed a national anti-cuts campaign and
organised a march to the TUC congress last September,
stration and coordinated strike action.
The TUC, 6 months late, belatedly acted on the first
demand, but pressure needs to be kept up on the second.
CWU members can help in this, and the 5th National
Conference of the NSSN on 11th June will be an
opportunity to discuss with other trade unionists from
across the country about what can be done.
The engineering construction workers at the BP plant at
Saltend in Yorkshire are showing how to fight the bosses.
They were locked out when they refused to let employers
tear up their pay and conditions and have mobilised
solidarity action from other workers, bypassing the anti-
trade union laws.
We should follow their example where workers express a
desire for industrial action.
There is an urgent need to increase the effectiveness of
the union. We let the employers get away with too much.
There should be no concession bargaining.
In the face of continued industrial and political attack, we
need a combative response with a leadership determined
to see it through.
With thanks to  

WE NEED A POLITICAL VOICE

One thing that holds back the union from playing a full role in defending our
members both as workers and service users is its continuing support for the
Labour Party. Labour started privatisation of Royal Mail.
Labour councils have carried out cuts equally as vicious as Tory councils yet
our union still tell us to vote for a party that will butcher our public services.
A cut is a cut whether it’s a Labour cut or a Tory cut.
Telling our members to wait until 2015 and vote for a party that will cut
more slowly is not good enough!
The focus from last years conference was to seek a left leader of Labour in John
McDonnell. But in modern Labour there was no space for a socialist like John.
Less than 20 Labour MP’s could be found to back him in even opposing the Tory
pensions changes from RPI to CPI ! When he moved his modest trade union
rights bill less than 90 MP’s supported him, some were even Libs and Tories...
Would you like me to 
We should aid the building of a party that represents working people now! cut more slowly? 

· Defend pay and conditions · Oppose job cuts

· Stop the Pensions Robbery · Oppose all public spending cuts
· For a fighting CWU leadership · No to biennial elections
* For a democratic, fighting union * Build a new workers’ party

For more on the Socialist Party in the CWU

At conference or after Contact: 07530 429441 Web: www.socialistparty.org.uk
 CWU Conference
2011 Bournemouth Bulletin
RM: National action to resist boss’s attack
No to job losses, closures and the pensions robbery
With the ConDem government determined to make
working people pay for the crisis caused by greedy TELECOMS
bankers and the capitalist system in general, it is On the Telecoms side, as Socialist Party members
more important than ever that communication predicted, the ‘ground breaking’ three year pay deal
workers have a strategy to defend them from the agreed last year has turned into a pay cut as inflation
attacks of both the government and the employers, climbs above the 3% pay rise.
and a leadership to pursue that strategy. BT reported a 71% increase in profits on May 12. The
union should be demanding
ROYAL MAIL
A Midlands postal worker writes our members’ share of that
Royal Mail faces the most deter- Morale among workers has never been so low. We think  and start mobilising for indus-
mined attempt so far at privatisa- things can't get any worse but they do. A final act of  trial action if BT doesn’t pay
tion and the response of the union Gordon Brown was to appoint new Chief Exec, Moya  up.
leadership needs to be stepped Greene with the sole task of privatising Royal Mail . 
up. Their strategy of lobbying
 
Telecoms workers face harass-
    A year into the job, she's overseeing the closure of 7 
coalition MPs in marginal seats mail centres around London and 1 in Hull, where workers 
ment in the workplace
has been a total failure. are offered jobs in Sheffield, a round trip of 140 miles!   wrapped up in performance
 

management processes which

NOT ONE LOBBIED MP HAS
SAID THEY WILL VOTE AGAINST
PRIVATISATION.
This will lead to 1,000’s of redundancies, many compul‐
are basically tools to manage
sory. This smashes the 2010 Business Transformation 
people out of the business
Agreement, which the CWU tell us is a great deal. It isn’t. 
 

along with being turned into

The Executive must organise to
take industrial action if the
government don’t halt their
privatisation plans!
After 60,000 job losses, greater workload and pension 
cuts,  members feel let down, their confidence is down  slaves by the imposition of
and they are mistrustful of a leadership that is seen as  compulsory overtime.
‘out of touch’.  Motions to end these prac-
tices should be supported.

We hear we may be balloted over the pension deficit, as 
the ConDems plan to raid the fund's £25 billion assets. But 
JOBS & CLOSURES
NATIONAL ACTION NEEDED
it's a bit late. We should have seen action over the closure  STOP THE PENSIONS
of the final salary scheme. This lack of fight has lead many 
workers to question the value of being a CWU member.  ROBBERY
The unofficial action in Sandhills  

and Brunswick show that workers Job losses have added to the union’s funding crisis, But  Uprating pensions by the Con-
are prepared to fight to defend members have also become disillusioned and leave be‐ sumer Price Index rather than
cause they feel they are not being properly represented. 
jobs and conditions. London is    the Retail Price Index will mean
This is a message to the leadership and officials. You've  an increase in contributions
balloting at this moment.
got to start listening to us. You should represent OUR 
and a reduction of the pension
As Royal Mail try to drive a coach interests, not accept job cuts or negotiate pay cuts. 
by at least 1% EVERY year.
& horses through our agreements You've got to get us back on side by showing you are up 
it can’t be left to individual offices for a fight against ALL attacks on the workers .   Coupled with the attacks on BT
to protect national agreements. And you've got to be quick about it.  pensions the union has already
accepted we will now pay more
National action is required to support those facing
for lower pensions and have a longer working life to boot!
job cuts and the threat of compulsory redundancy and
the leadership should be working for that. The union should mobilise a campaign against this
Motion 35 and 36 to the Postal Conference call for Great Pensions Robbery and force our employers to use
action and should be supported overwhelmingly. their vast profits to maintain our pensions

Support the JARROW MARCH against unemployment

October 2011 Jarrow to London. Organised by YOUTH FIGHT FOR JOBS to which the CWU is affiliated
Details 0208 558 7947 www.youthfightforjobs.com/www.jarrow2london2011@wordpress.com