A growing mood for national strike action in the post can be seen by the number of CWU union branches that have requested strike ballots in recent weeks.
Striking postal workers in London and Edinburgh hit back last week at bullying Royal Mail managers and their attempts to undermine the CWU union by ramming through "cost saving" measures.
The CWU union met in Bournemouth this week amid uncertainty over the government’s plans to privatise Royal Mail, a wave of management attacks on the union, and a political crisis that is gripping the government.
Dennis Kilgariff from Oxford moved a motion calling on the union to withdraw support from MPs who have not backed the union’s Early Day Motion against privatisation.
Union reps and activists from the Burslem delivery office in Stoke-on-Trent who have been victimised by Royal Mail organised a well-attended fringe meeting to tell delegates about their case.
Another theme at the conference was the CWU’s efforts to win new members in businesses outside of postal services and British Telecom, which provide the bulk of the union’s membership.
Sarah Hewitt, CWU rep Doncaster delivery office
‘Hearing that the BNP had won a big vote in Doncaster and an MEP in my region left me feeling shocked and betrayed.
As Lord Mandelson toured television studios last week defending his plan to sell a share of Royal Mail to vulture capitalists CVC, we in the London division of the CWU union were totting up our votes for strike action.
Royal mail bosses have announced a pay freeze for all workers at the company. The CWU union has told the company there is no possibility of its members accepting this.
Union reps from the postal workers CWU union across London agreed a timetable last week for a ballot for industrial action and strikes that would follow.
