A postal worker THE Communication Workers Union (CWU) is balloting postal workers on industrial action against Royal Mail's "Employee Agenda". The early signs are that a sizeable yes vote will be announced at this year's annual conference in Blackpool.
Royal Mail seriously miscalculated the mood of the workforce. The truth about the Employee Agenda has now emerged. CWU members are not impressed.
There are three main parts to the agenda pay, restructuring, delivery scancards and teamworking The union broke off negotia. tions when Royal Mail refused to remove teamworking.
Since then, more money has been offered to softer the pay restructuring package. in desperation management has protested that no jobs are threatened by its proposal to deliver all processed mail on the first delivery.
But they have refused to budge on the issue of teamworking.
Workers have been bombarded with misinformation in the form of team-briefings, special issues of the management paper and direct mail from local managers. Headlines in the tabloid press scream nonsense about a 15 per cent wage rise.
sut the union nas struck a real Chora with Its memders. Workers are fed up with the bosses' bully boy tactics and are WU Royal Mail strikers in Scotiond took unofficial action earlier this year. Now let's make it official. not prepared to swallow a deal that will force postal workers to police themselves.
Teamworking would require postal workers to cover all vacancies and absences for no extra pay. Each team would be set a mythical productivity figure which could only be achieved by working flat out all day, every day.
Teams would also be ex. pected to deal with any paper work connected with their job in their own time. Then if all the targets were achieved, a monthly bonus would be paid.
Union members know that the real agenda is massive job losses and the destruction of the union. Small wonder that even management's own survey showed that only a miserable 22 per cent felt that the "Employee Agenda" would be good for them.
Opposition to the bosses' plans must now be turned into the biggest possible yes vote for industrial action.
The union's joint General Secretary, Alan Johnson, has talked about a series of one-day strikes to force Royal Mail back to the negotiating table. But it may become necessary for postal workers to take action on an indefinite basis. To ensure that the union achieves the best outcome for its members CWU branches must maintain pressure on the union leadershic, Organised opposition fron branches forced the union's negociating team to break of talks. The union's aunuai confer. ence is an ideal opportunity Io bring together accivists to dis cuss putting even more pressure on the leadership.
The CWU'S aim has got to be clear a 35-hour week, working hours spread over no more than five days work, six weeks annual leave after twenty years of service, no to team working.
Victory is possible if the CWU demonstrates its ability to take national strike action and reject any compromise on teamworking.
Martin regards Bickerstaffe as one of the better trade union leaders. He cites Bickerstaffe speaking out for asylum seekers and travellers, and is careful to distinguish him from what he "the rest of the upper Lemms. echelons". an I ask him about his own relationship to the bureaucracy, not all of whom may be so well disposed to his ideas and what he might like to do. He is very optimistic: don't see problem. I stood on a very clear platform. It was to raise the profile of UNISON in London, and to create a situation where the former partner unions became welded together as a fighting force. So off we go. If there's a row there's a row."