TODAY the Communication Workers Union (CWU) London Divisional Committee has called a demonstration at the Unite union’s head office in Holborn, central London.
The issue is that Unite organises the management at the Royal Mail. Currently its members are doing everything possible to break the resistance of the CWU postal workers to Royal Mail’s attempts to impose widespread changes in working hours, and the conditions of service, imposing big cuts in wages, as well as closing Delivery Offices and Mail Centres.
Coachloads of managers have been used to try and break the strike actions that this arbitrary onslaught has caused.
These managers are members of the Unite trade union whose leaders, Woodley and Simpson, have taken no action to stop the strikebreaking.
At a recent national briefing meeting CWU members spoke up to demand that the CWU leaders move an emergency motion at the TUC’s September Congress that Unite be expelled from the TUC because of this strike breaking.
This call was last heard in 1987. The CWU was one of the trade unions that insisted that the EEPTU electricians union be expelled from the TUC for its strikebreaking activities against the printing unions after it made an alliance with Rupert Murdoch.
The EEPTU was expelled by the TUC in 1987 at its September Brighton congress.
The lesson for the Unite union is clear! The strike breaking must stop and Woodley and Simpson must be removed.
Firefighters are also up in arms about the organisation of a strike breaking force to break their disputes now that the army is otherwise engaged in Afghanistan.
London Fire Brigade bosses have spent £12million of tax-payers’ money training a force to strikebreak in the capital, in the event that FBU members take industrial action later his year over attacks to shift patterns and other conditions of service.
The company awarded the contract for this job is called AssetCo.
The FBU has issued a statement saying: ‘Top managers know that there is massive opposition to their proposals to introduce 12-hour shifts in London, and the contingency arrangements appear to be a recognition by them of the fact that an overwhelming number of FBU members would support a ballot for action.
‘However, the FBU will not be deterred by this latest development.’
Organising the potential strikebreakers of AssetCo is the Unite trade union.
On July 15th Unite expressed concern at the planned emergency cover proposed by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority for the London Fire Brigade.
It stated: ‘Unite met with AssetCo management yesterday when the union asked what provision the company would make to protect union members and staff in dangerous situations. Unite also asked for details of how the contract would affect directly or indirectly the maintenance contract and the employees working on that contract or if they would be unable to carry out their work.
‘Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe, Unite regional officer, who met with AssetCo management said: “Our members need urgent clarity as to what their role is and what the expectations are of them should the contract ever be triggered”.’
Everybody knows what the job in hand is, breaking firefighters’ strikes, and Unite’s refusal to act against its strikebreaking managers at Royal Mail does not inspire confidence that affairs at AssetCo will be any different.
Unite’s membership must take action to stop the strikebreaking. There is already huge anger inside the Unite union at the public refusal of the Woodley-Simpson leadership to demand the nationalisation of car plants that face closure, and also at the way that joint leader, Woodley, betrayed the Gate Gourmet workers.
It is time for a leadership change at Unite. Woodley and Simpson must go!
