‘Our union executive should immediately call off the talks with Royal Mail until the threats of redundancy, total flexibility, and attacks on our pension scheme have been withdrawn.’
So said the chairman of HP Section South Central Number 1 CWU Branch, Rob Bolton yesterday.
CWU (Communication Workers Union) leaders have been locked in ‘day and night’ talks with Royal Mail bosses in a bid to avoid a strike.
A CWU spokesman told News Line yesterday: ‘There is not going to be an eve of strike statement as talks are still going on and there has been some progress.’
Asked did this mean today’s and Monday’s 48-hour strikes were off, he said: ‘No, the strike is still on but if agreement is reached then obviously it will be off.’
However, Bolton insisted: ‘Five weeks of talks have only encouraged Royal Mail to impose even more draconian terms on Royal Mail workers, because they sense that the CWU leadership is willing to negotiate away these hard won terms and conditions, and betray their membership.
‘The strikes must go ahead until we win a satisfactory agreement on all the issues that we are in disagreement with Royal Mail about.
‘We are fighting not just for ourselves, but for the whole working class.
‘Our union should be issuing a rallying call to all unions to join us in the fight to defend jobs, services and pension rights of their members.
‘If our union leadership is not willing to carry this fight through to the finish, they must resign.
‘No one has the right to negotiate away the rights of our members.’
Alan Walsh, CWU Watford No1 Branch branch secretary said: ‘We’re up for it here.
‘I hope they don’t call off the strike for more talks.
‘The last “period of calm” was used by Royal Mail to prepare strike breaking.’
He added: ‘We’ve had our union release time for the reps removed here.
‘We’ve had people removed from pay because they’ve been deemed to be taking unofficial industrial action.
‘Royal Mail called the police last week to move people from the building.
‘We’re been flooded with agency casuals, mainly from eastern Europe.
‘We’ve been carrying out the “doing the job properly” official union campaign for fifteen weeks.
‘Our people have been under immense stress and pressure.
‘Thirty people were called into an office this morning and told they hadn’t worked properly yesterday and if they did the same today, they would be deemed to be on unofficial action, removed from pay and the whole office would face consequences.’
Greenford, west London, Communication Workers Union (CWU) branch secretary Geoff Loftus told News Line yesterday: ‘Our members are ready for action. They are very, very angry.’
He added: ‘Modernisation doesn’t mean you are going to rip-off people’s pensions. It doesn’t mean you worsen working conditions.’
