THE PCS General Secretary and National President sent a message of solidarity to striking CWU members in the Royal Mail yesterday.
Their message, to CWU General Secretary Billy Hayes, read: ‘I am writing to offer the full support and solidarity of PCS members for the strike by your members in Royal Mail starting today.
‘In common with all public servants, your members work hard to deliver a vital public service. Attempts to unilaterally impose changes to working practices and low pay increases are making the delivery of those services more difficult. Vital public services are being placed at risk.
‘In common with your members PCS members are also fighting to protect their living standards and working conditions. Like you we are determined that those who work hard to serve the public are paid a fair wage.
Best wishes and good luck,
Mark Serwotka, General Secretary, Janice Godrich, National President’.
130,000 postal workers nationwide began strike action at 12noon on Thursday and are due to continue until 12noon today. Workers will be on strike again from 03.00hrs Monday for a further 48 hour period.
A CWU spokesperson said: ‘We have had numerous telephone calls and members on the picket lines, demanding the removal of the political levy, and telling representatives that when the general election starts as an act of conscience they will not be able to deliver Labour Party election literature.’
Postal workers on the picket lines reported to News Line yesterday that the present strike action is even stronger than before.
At Luton Mail Centre CWU member Steve said: ‘The government are willing to pour millions into Northern Rock but as our owners they are prepared to turn a blind eye to our plight.
‘Brown talks about a general election but when he has it he relies on us.
‘We have to win this dispute, to protect our jobs and pensions.’
Mick Purcell, CWU Eastern No.6 (Luton section) chairman, said: ‘We’ve been told we’re going to lose an average of £50,000 a man on our pension by working another five years and leaving with a reduced lump sum.
‘They want to take away our overtime.
‘They want us to work up to two hours extra or two hours later at the discretion of the management.
‘All this for 2.5 per cent!
‘Who could accept that?
‘All our members feel that way. The strike is solid.
‘We’re must get all public sector unions involved to win this.
‘What limits us all is a squeeze on wages and a squeeze on services we provide like the NHS.’
Paul Olden, CWU branch secretary at Milton Keynes (Eastern No.6 branch), said: ‘We’re going nowhere at present.
‘Leighton and Crozier are pulling the strings and dictating what is happening.
‘It’s not an issue just of pay, it’s changes to our pensions, and the managing of the surplus framework agreement, which will mean later starts for deliveries, flexible working and job cuts.
‘The biggest issue is the final salary pension scheme.
‘With Royal Mail taking a 17-year pension holiday there is a very big deficit in the pension scheme and we’re expected to pay for that now.
‘We want pensions divorced from pay talks and new technology delivery issues, flexible working negotiated separately from pay.
‘Taking industrial action is hopefully going to pull the business round the table.
‘If Gordon Brown wants the support of the unions then he has to intervene.
‘If he won’t support us it’s time for the unions to disassociate from the Labour Party.
‘It’s time the TUC called a day of national strike action to defend all public services.’
Lee Wenban, a CWU member at Mandela Way depot, said: ‘The political solution is the solution to this dispute.
‘The government own Royal Mail and the government should step in.
‘They were happy to step in with Northern Rock, but with Royal Mail they are nowhere to be seen.
‘The CWU gave £406,000 to the Labour Party. The Labour Party is the government, the government employ Crozier and Leighton. So, in effect, we are paying for them.
‘Our general secretary doesn’t seem to be banging on the door of Number 10 and of Gordon Brown, in order to resolve the dispute.’
CWU member Patrick Donohue, at the picket line at Stockwell delivery office in south-west London, said: ‘We’ll stay out as long as it takes.
‘If this goes through, the job is finished.’
Tony Hunt, another CWU member, said: ‘The strike is solid. I’m not happy with this flexibility.
‘Some of us have kids and other responsibilities.
‘We depend on finishing at the right time.’
Gary Smith said: ‘If they succeed in what they want to do, we won’t have a union.
‘I feel totally let down by the government.
‘I’ve voted Labour all my life.’
At Nine Elms South London Mail Centre in Vauxhall, Patrick Paryag, CWU SW1 unit rep, said: ‘The turnout is solid here today.
‘The last information we had is the two sides are miles apart.
‘We don’t want the strike called off just for more talks.
‘The only reason for calling off the strike is when we reach the proper agreement.’
Paul Fairweather, CWU health and safety rep and deputy area rep at Nine Elms, said: ‘We are determined we are going to win, however long it takes.
‘We have to win this battle, our pensions are at stake.
‘This flexibility is terrible. Royal Mail want to tear up every agreement we’ve made.
‘They want to lump together attendance and conduct, making it much easier to sack people.’
At the Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre in Langley, near Slough, Satinder Sidhu said: ‘They shouldn’t have stopped the strike while they were negotiating. It was a wrong move.
‘At the end of the day it’s like dropping your guard when you are in a fight.
‘One thing is, it let them catch up with all the backlog that built up.’
Paul Roper said: ‘We should carry on with the strike during the election if it’s called and stop them getting their ballot papers out.
‘The government is behind this; not giving pay rises to Royal Mail staff and nurses as well. They are stubborn, but they won’t win.’
At Harrow Delivery Office Peter Hawkins said: ‘I’ve worked here 25-years. This is a principled fight effecting our pensions and conditions and they want to get rid of a lot of the night staff.
‘I think what they are trying to do to the Post Office is what they did to BT – cherry pick and sell off the best bits. We’ve got to stop it.’
More than 1,200 CWU members are on strike at the Greenford Mail Centre near Southall.
Paul said: ‘It’s still going strong and we are more determined than ever to achieve a resolution to the problems caused by management’s unfair proposals on pensions, so-called flexible working and massive job losses.’
At the Bow (E3) Delivery Office strikers were out in force on the picket line.
Mark Baulch, from the CWU Postal Executive came down to the picket to update them concerning the talks with Royal Mail at the TUC.
He told News Line: ‘It is going very well. The strike is solid.
‘Our members understand the issues and they are going to see it through to the finish.’
Peter Cecil, who has worked for Royal Mail for 43 years and is a stalwart on the picket line said: ‘They are trying to destroy the Post Office. That is what Leighton and Crozier are doing.’
He added: ‘I think everyone should withdraw their subscriptions to the Labour Party that they pay through their union fees.’
At Poplar (E14) Delivery Office early yesterday morning there were up to 35 strikers on the picket line, CWU Unit rep. Mick Rowell reported.
He said: ‘We are still as strong – 100 per cent. Nobody has gone in again.
‘I cannot see anything changing unless things change nationally.
‘We know what we are up against.
‘Unless Royal Mail come up with a decent proposal and drop all the strings and negotiate, nothing is going to change.’
Pickets at the Hornsey (N6) Delivery Office were determined.
Jim Byrne said: ‘It’s 100 per cent solid. Everyone knows the issues despite what Royal Mail are telling them about pensions, later starts and flexibility.
‘I think we can win. We’re more solid this time than ever.’
At the N19 Delivery Office, CWU Unit rep. Mark Antony said: ‘We’ve got to stick together to take on Royal Mail fat cats.
‘There should be joint action to defend public services, because what the government want to do is take out the unions one by one.
‘If we stick together we shall defeat them.
‘They want us to work part time with flexibility.’
