Postal workers in delivery and collection offices around the country were out solid again on Saturday in defence of their union, the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU), their jobs, conditions and pensions.
The CWU said on Friday: ‘The Communication Workers Union is pleased that talks have been agreed for next week.
‘Notice has been served today for further strike action on Friday 6th November and Monday 9th November.
Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary, said: ‘Talks will continue between CWU and Royal Mail at the TUC next week. We are very grateful to the TUC for their efforts in helping to try and find a resolution to this dispute.
‘We advised Royal Mail and all those in the negotiations last night (Thursday) that the CWU would be serving notice for further strike action today.
‘They agreed to keep talks ongoing in the run-up to that action.
‘The union is consistently frustrated that Royal Mail keep walking away when we get close to a deal, but we hope that that will not be the case next week.
‘It is not necessary for this strike to take place and the union remains focused on reaching an agreement. We hope that Royal Mail will also now be equally focused.
‘The CWU is determined to reach an agreement or make enough progress to call off strike action next week.’
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: ‘Further work is needed on all sides to finalise the terms of a possible settlement and I have put a number of proposals to Royal Mail and the CWU to consider on possible approaches to some of the big issues that remain in dispute.
‘They have agreed to look at these proposals over the weekend and consult appropriately with colleagues with a view to returning to the TUC for further negotiations early next week.
‘In a high pressure dispute of this kind, we all understand that there is intense media interest.
‘But in my experience it is not helpful to the prospects of reaching agreement for details of negotiating positions and possible solutions to be batted about in the media.
‘Both parties have accordingly agreed to my request that they should not comment publicly on the negotiations while they continue.
‘Royal Mail provides a hugely important public service and everyone involved in these talks knows how damaging it would be if an agreement is not achieved.
‘In my judgement too, both parties have a genuine desire to build a better relationship going forward to transform and modernise Royal Mail in the interests of the service and the workforce too.
‘I hope that these talks which will be resumed next week will be able to make a breakthrough to an agreement that can provide a more positive way forward.’
On Saturday at the Hampstead Delivery Office northwest London, an over 20-strong picket line, CWU member Alan Kirk told News Line: ‘The strike is going OK, it’s fine.
‘For me the issue is management bullying and harassment.
‘I think the dispute is going to come to a head quite shortly.
‘Royal Mail are trying to drag it out.
‘They want to make us look bad over Christmas.
‘They actually want to break the union, but the public support us.
‘If Royal Mail breaks our union everybody will suffer.
‘We have to win this, if we don’t, they will run all over us and make us part-time with a part-time service for the customers.
‘It is in everybody’s interest that we win.
‘We should definitely have support from other unions and stop paying the political levy to the Labour Party.
‘My message to our national leadership is we have to stand firm because if we give an inch, Royal Mail will take a mile, they just can’t be trusted.
‘The government is definitely behind this and have told Royal Mail to take on the union.’
CWU North/Northwest London branch secretary Jim Kirwin was visiting Kentish Town and Hampstead picket lines.
He told News Line at Kentish Town: ‘The leadership is taking this forward.
‘We don’t expect a sell-out from them.
‘Our people are expecting them to get a deal that they can go back to work on, that lasts.
‘The strikes are going well, there’s a lot of support from the public and that’s growing.
‘Now that it is national you are seeing more and more trade unions coming on board.
‘They know that what the business is trying to do is destroy the Post Service.
‘We’ve apologised to pensioners’ representatives about delays in the post while they are standing on the picket line, because we know we’ve got their support.’
Strikers at Crawley delivery depot were in buoyant mood on their picket line, waving placards and cheering as lorries and cars drove past honking their horns in support.
The delivery rep at Crawley told News Line: ‘The support for the strike is better this time round than last. We have had fewer people go in this time.
‘I think that is because the message is starting to get through that we have to make a stand.’
Terry Adams, CWU Area Delivery rep for SE No. 5 branch, said that the situation at Redhill was the same: ‘The number of people crossing the picket line has gone down from three to just one.
‘The way this action is building up and escalating, if the dispute is not sorted out sooner rather than later, then with other groups of workers who also are having their conditions attacked, I can see the need for coordinated action,’ he said.
There were about 20 determined CWU pickets in good spirits assembled outside Roundtree Way Royal Mail Sorting Office, Norwich on Saturday morning.
Graham Bale, the CWU representative at the depot, said: ‘The pensions issue is a huge thing, I have been involved with the post for 27 years and if I don’t get my pension when I’m 60 I’m stuffed – as we all are.
‘The Royal Mail took a pensions holiday several years ago, it wasn’t our fault.
‘Our managers are gutless, they won’t stand up for themselves, they certainly won’t stand up for us, yet their pensions are going as well.
‘I think the bullying and harassment is another huge issue all over the whole country.
‘It is good for us to hear other pickets saying exactly the same thing as what is happening to us in there, and I see it every day and I deal with it every day being the union rep.
‘It is utterly disgraceful; we have gone back 50 years.
‘I think the bullying and harassment is enough to be out here without the pensions and job security to be honest, and when people see it on the floor every day we don’t have much trouble getting people out.
‘They are introducing unagreed work practices that we can’t achieve, and if you can’t achieve them they are threatening to stop our pay.
‘The more savings that are made, the more bonuses our managers get.
‘We are very angry, people see this as a last stand.
‘We have people who have been in there now for 20 or 30 years who wake up in the morning depressed because they know what they have to face when they come in.
At the Uxbridge Delivery Office picket line, CWU rep Rob Stone said: ‘I want this sorted out quickly, we want everyone out.
‘We look forward to next Friday and Monday to increase the pressure. We are fighting to save the postal service.’
His colleague Danny Woods said: ‘It’s not about modernisation, it’s about job cuts.
‘They’ll destroy this service if we don’t stop them.’
At Northolt there were over 30 on the picket line on Saturday morning.
CWU member John O’Sullivan said: ‘This is not like the miners. There is no stockpile of coal.
‘I think we need a general strike as a warning that the unions are not dead and gone.
‘This government is doing the Tories’ dirty work.
‘You’ve got a war criminal trying to be president of Europe and the village idiot as mayor of London.
‘We need a general strike to defend the workers’ rights.’
CWU Matthew Lea said: ‘What we need is proper strike action.
‘These one-day strikes don’t work. It’s prolonging the agony.
‘We need longer strikes and solidarity action from the rest of the unions.’
At Acton Delivery Office, Mark Hastings said: ‘The government are trying to bring down Royal Mail.
‘There’s a conspiracy between Mandelson, Crozier and Brown.
‘They want the private companies to take over Royal Mail.
‘They call Royal Mail a business but we are fighting to save it as a service.
‘How can you have Mandelson, sacked twice, then made a lord, given a £1 million golden handshake when he gave up his European post, and coming back into government again?’
CWU rep Mitchell Morris said: ‘I agree with the News Line headline – the CWU must spread the action to the entire public sector.
‘This government are attacking public services, whether it’s post, health, teachers, Job Centres, firefighters, public transport.
‘A government that sees the only way to keep inflation down by having cuts in the public services, while bailing out the bankers, should be brought to order by the people who are funding them, ie the unions, which are providing the public services.’
There was a lively picket at Stoke Newington Delivery Office (N16) on Saturday, complete with barbecue.
Joe Donnellan, the CWU N16 rep, said: ‘This is a struggle about defending jobs for the future, full-time jobs.
‘This is an attack on all public sector workers, we stand united to defend jobs for the future generations.
‘The Royal Mail (supported by the government) are doing everything they can to provoke postmen into walking out unofficially.
‘But we will keep this legal as long as we can.
‘This is about getting the CWU out of the job completely.
‘All union members must stand up for what they believe in and stand together.
‘It is always the manual jobs and low-skilled that end up paying for the overspending at the top.
‘We are not going to pay for the money the government lost.
‘This is our 17th strike day we have had in London.
‘Another two days are planned next weekend and we know that this has to get settled before Christmas, and if it takes a full walk-out, then that’s what we’ll do!’
