Postal workers win on sexual The progressive nature of the dispute was not lost on the public, who freely indicated their support to the picket line. One postman retuming home on the bus from picker duty said he felt like Santa Claus - so. visible and obvious lowing week that strike had strikers who previously regarded PO/PA* as aloof quasi-manage- By the Wednesday of the fol spread to other offices in the Ox- was the support from other, main ly women, passengers. harassment UPDATE ing office has a large number of supervisor was then intervicwed and admitted that the assault had taken place, however, no action By Thursday evening manago- ment had still refused to take procautionary action: by this time, the supervisor had been put back on to a duty which placed him in The evening shift at the sott- women workers who became in- angry that manage- charge of the woman he had as saulted only 3 days carlier. was taken against him- A recent issue of the Union of (UCW) Official Bulletin to branches gave brief details of eight instances of unofficial action taken by branches up and down the This confirms that the union's membership is still willing and uble to resist attacks from Post Office management, even if their national leadership will readily capitulate at every tum. Communication
plete their investigation into the incident: The supervisor was Found guilty and demoted to the rank of postman, given a 5 year serious offence against his record compulsorily away from all offices that had taken action. In addition an agree- ment had been reached to set up a procedure for dealing with future instances of sexual harassment The was no douht in the minds of the strikers that a victory had Sexual harassment is a daily occurrence and this dispute will ford district and beyond, most notably to Swindon sorting office in the neighbouring district. By the time the dispute had been resolved workers at many more offices were poised to take sup portive action. Throughout the management, surprised by the level of support, sought to hehttle the woman's claims. There was the disgusting instance of them barometric scale of the serions- tess of assault. As far as they were concemed what the cleaner ment could allow such a situation to occur: At Spm a meeting was held in the sorting office yard and a manimoos decision was taken workers at throe satellite delivery. offices were asked to go into the sorting office to work; this would have meant crossing picket lines. which they relused to do. As a suspended, bringing the number involved in the action lo over Postal Officers and Postal Asto take strike action. By far the most important of these disputes was the week-long strike in Oxford, because it was concered with an issue normally shamefully ignored by the hast majority of the British labour movement - violence against The very fact that the action took place at all can be seen as something of a victory. On the evening of Monday October 26 a woman cleaner working alone with a male super- visor was ussaulted by him. A formal complaint was made. women.
certainly not put an end to it in the Oxford offices, But hopefully. dispute will women workers to feel more con- fident about taking action about any Instances that take place in Andy Mar TUC bureaucrats in bid to gag