CWU Follow

DETAILS OF the national pay and conditions deal between Royal Mail and the CWU union were emerging as Socialist Worker went to press.

The victorious postal strike has put unofficial action back on the agenda, writes Martin Smith. Postal workers describe their success.

AN UNOFFICIAL walkout by over 200 postal workers in Oldham, Greater Manchester, won a victory last week. Members of the CWU union walked out at 7am on Tuesday of last week in a dispute over the handling of a backlog of mail that built up during other recent industrial action.

THOUSANDS OF postal workers were forced to take unofficial strike action across London and Essex this week in a battle against their brutal bosses. They know their union, the CWU, and the whole way postal workers are treated at work is at stake.

THE CWU postal workers' union held a national meeting for mail processing (sorting) reps on Friday of last week.

AROUND 250 CWU union divisional, area and branch reps met last Saturday at an official meeting to discuss the recent pay ballot, management attacks and the way forward for the union. The meeting was much more positive than anyone might have expected a week before.

UNOFFICIAL AND illegal action by hundreds of Oxford postal workers has won a landmark victory. An Oxford CWU member told Socialist Worker, "We feel ten feet tall. We were in a big battle and the rank and file and our reps did not blink. We pushed them back and have given an example for postal workers everywhere."

The narrow vote against national strike action by postal workers came as a shock to many of us in the Communication Workers Union.

ON FRIDAY of last week over 400 postal workers in Oxford's mail centre walked out unofficially on strike. An Oxford CWU union rep told Socialist Worker, "Union headquarters sent out an excellent circular detailing the attacks from the top of Royal Mail. Our reps wanted to distribute it to the members.

"HORRIBLE" was how one of New Labour's staunchest supporters in the trade union movement described last week's Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton. The vast majority of delegates, the seven million workers they represent and millions of others felt differently. "You get a feeling that, at last, slowly the anger and concerns of working people are finally getting a hearing at the top of the unions," says TUC delegate Jane Loftus, a member of the national executive of the postal workers' CWU union. The conference put clear red water between the trade unions and New Labour.

"WE WANT as many CWU members on the demonstration as possible. We don't need more British troops sent to Iraq. We need more Iraqis running their own country." Billy Hayes, general secretary of the postal workers' CWU union

WORKERS AT Peckham Crown Post Office and Camberwell Green Crown Post Offices in south London have launched campaigns to stop their offices being privatised and downgraded. The 30 people employed in the two offices have over 300 years experience serving the community. CWU union assistant sectional secretary Steve Whale said, "We were only informed of the privatisation when the press rang our union room for our comments."