TGWU threatens to pull the plugs on year-long dock dispute very Office Office Centre STIGAL PICKET OFFICENT PICKIT Postal workers are ready to escalate action UC CONGRESS produced one of the strangest sights for years. Blairite union leader Alan Johnson of the Communication Workers Union was forced to criticise Blair's call for a ballot in the postal dispute and defend the decision of his executive to escalate the disoute Blair's intervention into the dispute calling for a ballot on the ACAS agreement was a stab in the back for postal workers.
In the middle of a bitter three month long dispute, it showed clearly what Labour's calls for binding arbitration will mean in practice.
It is to the credit of the WU executive that it has resisted massive pressure from Royal Mail, the government and from Tony Blair. A ballot at this stage of the dispute would nave the effect of demobilising the membership and place them under enormous oressure co vote for a sara. ment.
The issue of the ballot has created a discussion on what tactics can win the dispute. A number of divisional representatives supported the ballot call, claiming that it will show Royal Mail that a majority of postal workers are still behind the union executive While this is a well-intentioned error unlike Blair's betrayal, it is a seriously mistaken notion. It the dispute could be settled by votes of the unions membership, industrial action would never have been necessary.
The mandate for the dispute was an overwhelming endorsement of the unions position with 70% voting for industrial action on a high turnout. It was completely ignored by Royal Mail, hell bent on their job-slashing agenda. A new ballot at this stage would not necessarily produce a big majority and this would in crease the pressure on the CWU to compromise with management. Alan Johnson was quite correct at TUC to describe a new ballot at this stage as 'an expensive waste of time'. It is a shame that it has been left to the WU executive to assert this position at crucial committee meetings four times during the dispute -against Johnson's advice. The best way to ensure a vic. tory in the dispute is to begin escalating the action. The decision to call a strike for the weekend September 20 is a good start. Once A victory in this case again Royal Mail will be a lightening rod will be forced to accept the reality for other public sector that CWU memworkers to resist bers support industrial action. attacks on their jobs Trade unionists and conditions and Labour Party members should be unequivocal in their support for this dispute. A victory in this case will be a lightening rod for other public sector workers to resist attacks on their jobs and conditions. Some rail workers have already been successful in forcing their local companies to concede: in other areas industrial action is proceeding at the same time as postal strikes. Trade unionists taking strike action are showing in practice their contempt for Labour's plans for anti-union legislation. Build solidarity with these struggles to give the lie to this dangerous nonsense!