The Communication Workers Union (CWU) are hosting a march and rally in Corby, Northamptonshire, today against the privatisation of Royal Mail.
The March will begin at 1.30pm from the Corby Civic Centre to Labour junior minister Phil Hope MP’s monthly surgery.
This will be followed by a Rally at the Corby Labour Club at 2pm where many speakers are due from other trade unions, Royal Mail user groups, TUC and CWU branches across the Country.
Tony Benn has sent a personal recorded message in support of the anti-privatisation march and rally in Corby. Lord Tony Clarke of Hampstead and CWU Vice President Jane Loftus will also be in attendance.
Mick Fitzmaurice, CWU Branch Secretary for the Northamptonshire Branch said: ‘The privatisation of Royal Mail is so unpopular that it now has more MP’s opposing it than were opposed to the Iraq war.
‘An Early Day Motion (EDM 428) opposing the privatisation of Royal Mail has received 175 MPs’ signatures meaning that it has more opposition than the war on Iraq.
‘The reason that the CWU has chosen to host the march and rally in Corby is because Labour MP Phil Hope is supporting the government in its privatisation plans despite it contravening the Labour Party Manifesto 2005 and a commitment given at the Labour Party conference 2008 for a wholly publicly owned Royal Mail.
‘The CWU has been engaging with the public of Corby and it is abundantly clear that Phil Hope MP does not reflect their views or the views of local Labour Party activists to support the part privatisation of Royal Mail.
‘This is the biggest betrayal of the British public under a Labour government that has always stood shoulder to shoulder with the CWU when Royal Mail was facing similar threats under Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government.’