LAST WEEK postal workers delivered a powerful new mandate to continue strike action. Communication Workers Union members voted 64,919 to 40,581 for renewed industrial action against Royal Mail's plans to restructure pay and introduce flexible working.
The overall " yes " vote - 61 per cent on a 78 per cent turnout disproves the claim of both the employer and the government that the strikes this summer only happened because of manipulation of the membership by a politically motivated executive.
Fearing such an outcome union leader Alan Johnson has already held behind-the-scenes negotiations Witt Royal Mail. As we go to press it is likely that he will be putting an as-yet unquantified package to the executive. It is believed to involve referring the central issue of flexible team working to nonbinding arbitration by ACAS and hiving should fight on off the discussions on pay restructunng into the annual pay negotiations.
Whether such a package can satisty the membership and the executive remains to be seen. It will not be the first time that arch-Blairite Jonnson has altempted such a stitch-up. Previously his executive has sent him packing.
If this is the deal on the table it may only serve to put off the fight to another day. sotar Johnson's overall gambit has been to keep postponing the fight until mood to compromise. such time as his members will grow so tired and demoralised that they either vote against any further action or abstain in arce numbers he test vote came aolae ea lier strike action was suspended when Royal Mail threatened legal action over an anomaly in the balloting procedure.
It is doubtful whether Royal Mail would ever have carried out such a threat and even it they nad, wnelner such a challenge would have been successful. Their case rested on the fact that in addition to a return of something like 100,000, 425 spoilt papers were undeclared.
However the real reason that CWU leader Alan Johnson decided to re-ballot was not the threats from the employer but the intervention of the Labour Party leadership.
It is not only that Blair and the rest of the leadership see all flexing of union muscle as threatening their electoral prospects.
Labour's industrial policy seems to be moving towards compulsory ballots on settlements reached under arbitraCOLL What a good idea then to insist to Johnson that he ballot his members on an offer made under the auspices of the arbitration service, ACAS.
The decision to re-ballot ran the risk of seriously destabilising the dispute. The fact that in these circumstances the Postal workers take to the streets "yes" vote has held up should sound alarm bells for the union leadership as a whole.
The vast majority of postal workers are no mood to compromise. Even if this new fudge creates a breathing space in restrict our choices even further.
For all these reasons and more, the Wefare State Network, together with the NUS Womens' Campaign is organising a conference: Foundations for Freedom: a womens' conference putting the case for defence and rebuilding of the welfare state' at the longer term action may still happen. Leaving the dispute simmering on the hack burner mav mean it eventually exploding - not only in the faces of Royal Mail and the Tories but in those of Johnson and Blair as well.
the University of London Union, on November 30. This conference will provide an opportunity for women involved in existing to share experiences and convince others that the fight to defend and improve welfare provision is a key task for all socialists and feminists. Welfare State Network