STRIKING postal workers took part in a 17,000-strong Communication Workers Union (CWU) national rally in Parliament Square, central London, on Friday afternoon.
News Line spoke to some of the strikers as they assembled.
CWU member Liz, from Chesham Delivery Office, Buckinghamshire, said: ‘We’ve been striking for five months.
‘This is not just about pay, it’s about the attack on our terms and conditions.
‘And the attack by the CEO on the 500-year Royal Mail service.
‘We want our terms and conditions back and we want the service to continue.
‘The public service should not be in private hands.’
Chris Brooks, CWU Essex Amalgamated Branch Rep, said: ‘We’ve been suspended for raising health and safety concerns.
‘I’d love to see the media taking notice of the workers and not listening to the employers’ narrative.
‘I’m very much for a general strike.
‘Most of the workers who kept the country running for the past few years are now having to go to a food bank to be able to afford to live.
‘We need a general strike to bring this government down.
‘The working class should be running the country, the power is in the wrong hands.’
Corby Newhan Delivery Office, Middlesbrough, CWU member Jade Parker told News Line: ‘MPs get the money they want and the pay rises and expenses they want.
‘We’re expected to just manage.
‘A lot of us are not managing.
‘People are going to food banks and warm banks.
‘All the workers should come out on a general strike to bring down the Tories.
‘We need a workers government.
‘I don’t think Labour are for the workers at the minute.’
Introducing the speakers CWU Head of Communications Chris Webb declared: ‘Today we are collectively turning the tables on the employers.
‘They have Parliament and the media behind them.
‘What they haven’t got is what you have.
‘We get up at 2am in the morning.
‘Today 115,000 of you are out on strike.
‘Today belongs to you.
‘This is a coordinated attack on working people.
‘Support rail workers, teachers, lecturers, nurses when they take action.
‘Remove Thompson as head of Royal Mail.’
CWU Acting General Secretary Postal Andy Furey told the rally: ‘We’re going to win.
‘Big thank you to you all, let’s hear it for our pickets!’ to cheers.
He announced that the union will be re-balloting on January 23, 2023 for further strikes.
He said: ‘This union will not give up.
‘This is about the future of Royal Mail as a service.
‘They want to make workers redundant, we are not having that.
‘The company made £758m last year – you made them that profit.
‘We will not be letting anybody being made redundant.
‘We must have job security.’
Young Amy Ash said: ‘I am a postal worker and a CWU member.
‘For me and thousands of my colleagues, we love our job.
‘We are not prepared to stand by and see our terms and conditions destroyed.
‘I say to the most senior managers who have massive bonuses and say there is not enough for postal workers – shame on you!
‘We cannot and we will not back down.
‘Simon Thompson couldn’t do my job.’
CWU North West Division Rep Ian Taylor said: ‘Reps have been suspended throughout the country.
‘They want them out of the way so they can get at you.
‘Our message to the CEO is we are not going to let them wither.
‘If they don’t want there to be an independent inquiry – send a message to the CEO.
‘The union will not put a pen to paper until the reps are back at work!’
National Education Union joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: ‘Our members teach your sons and daughters.
‘We want you to win for them.
‘When you do win it will be a win for every Amazon worker, every teacher, every nurse and rail worker.
‘We know Simon Thompson wants to treat you like the dirt on his shoes.
‘Thompson wants to place you with zero hours contracts.
‘There is a change of mood within the country.
‘Workers are waking up and you can see that in the nurses going on strike, rail workers strikes, bus strikes.
‘Simon Thompson is just a bully.
‘Victory to rail workers, nurses, teachers and victory to the CWU.’
New TUC General Secretary Paul Novak declared: ‘I bring solidarity on behalf of the TUC, five and a half million standing in solidarity with the CWU.
‘This is one of those days to be proud of being in a trade union.
‘These are times when we have to ask whose side are we on.
‘Are we on the side of rail bosses and government ministers who tell paramedics and nurses they don’t have enough money to pay them?
‘Are we on the side of workers?
‘The mood is changing, something is stirring in workplaces.
‘Rather than giving a pay rise to working people, they want to attack trade unions – we’re not having it.
‘We will defend the right to strike in the courts and Parliament and we will win.
‘What we need is a Labour government.
‘Campaign, strike together. We will win.’
UCU General secretary Jo Grady said: ‘I represent 135,000 college and university lecturers.
‘We’ve been striking over pay and working conditions.
‘And we are going to win.
‘When I think of postal workers, I think of community and service.
‘Postal workers would not cross our picket lines.
‘They are never going to break your union power.’
RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘We were moving forward in the 1970s.
‘We had a Labour government that put forward legislation in our favour.
‘For too long we’ve been quiet.
‘All the right wing media hate us because they’re scared of us.
‘We’re moving forward to a society where people can have a fairer life.
‘The trade unions are the hope of the working class.
‘We are going to deliver change for our people
‘And all those professional politicians, where were you when we were fighting for our jobs?
‘I say to Starmer “which side are you on”.
‘We are going to stand up for trade unions and we are going to win.’
‘Victory to posties, victory to rail workers!’
CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said: ‘People say this has got personal.
‘Yes, personal for 125,000 working people who want their jobs and service.
‘When I joined the postal service I met people who I knew would look after you.
‘You love your customers.
‘Who’s stopping us from giving that service?
‘We know how difficult it’s for workers in struggle.
‘The people who caused the crisis, they have not got the knowledge to run the service.
‘Why don’t we run the company.
‘£158m in profit, 32 million letters you delivered during the pandemic.
‘And they say it’s getting worse. It’s going to continue getting worse until they negotiate.
‘Millions of pounds paid to shareholders. They don’t put any money back into the service.
‘They are running this company into the ground, deliberately.
‘We want jobs and decent pay and for the service to continue to run.
‘We are going to do whatever it takes to win this dispute.’
