There is a deep crisis in the postal workers’ CWU union that centres on its political fund – but reflects much wider troubles in the relationship between the unions and the Labour Party.
The contents of Royal Mail’s revised offer to the postal workers’ CWU union were unclear as Socialist Worker went to press. But initial leaks to the media suggest the company has made few moves towards meeting the union’s demands.
Postal workers escalated their unofficial strike action against Royal Mail today, with scores of new offices in different parts of Britain walking out. Aggressive office managers demanding changes to usual working practices provoked many of the walkouts.
Royal Mail boss Adam "Cobblers" Crozier is known for his mocking, loutish way of speaking, but by slurring post workers for their supposed "Spanish practices", he has upset more people than usual.
The stakes in the dispute between Royal Mail and the CWU union grew today as unofficial strike action in Royal Mail continued to spread. Offices in south east London joined striking colleagues in east and south west London, and there is now a real possibility that all offices and mail centres in London will join the action within the next 24 hours.
The last day of the national postal strikes saw a fantastic spontaneous march by 100 postal workers through the centre of Ipswich chanting "What do we want? Fair pay!When do we want it? Now!". This was followed by a mass meeting of 300 posties to discuss how to take the campaign forward in Ipswich.
Hundreds of postal workers at the Nine Elms mail centre in southwest London have today walked out in an unofficial dispute after their management told them that overtime at the office would cease.
Postal workers walked out unofficially this morning, just hours after many had returned to work following an official 48-hour strike.
Over the past week many socialists, trade unionists and campaigners across Britain have visited postal workers’ picket lines to express solidarity and support for the strikers. It is taken for granted today that socialists should support strikes in this way.
The prominent role of revolutionaries from Asia in the Communist International marked a breakthrough for the world socialist movement.
Have you noticed the rise in prices for food in the shops recently?
We discussed last week how mass movements can transform the lives of their participants – and how they thus contain the possibility, but not the inevitability, of revolution.
