candles.
Initiated by & Women Against War in Sponsored by & Labour Against the War, Labour Action List Movement, General Union of Palestinian Women, Kurdistan Solidaritv Committee. Labour Party Black sections, London Labour CND, London Region CND, Socialist Campaign Group of MPs, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Socialist Society strikes by a UCW postal worker THE communication workers' union, the UCW, has called a series of strikes over pay in the Post Office's counter sector. The action follows a 56% majority in a national ballot in favour of rejection of a 6.8% pay offer.
Following the 'divide and rule principle, the Post Office management have picked on a relatively small and vulnerable group of workers, hoping for an easy victory in the first round of pay negotiations in the industry. They are relying on the system of subpost offices, often run by shop ‹eepers, to undermine the etfectiveness of the strike.
Underestimated
But the Post Office management underestimated anger among counter staff against recent changes in working practices, as well as a pay offer below inflation.
The initial three-day strike by an RMT member The largest rail union, the RMT, called off a ballot for British Rail workers only three hours before it was due to start.
The union's executive accepted an offer of 7.75%, only 0.75% more than the previous rejected offer, and a long way below members' expectations.
The original call for a ballot on pay was unexpected: while railworkers wanted more than BR's miserly offer, the vital issue facing the industry is BR's reorganisation plans in preparation for privatisation. These plans are being pushed through sector by sector, dividing up the workforce and eroding 'hardwon national conditions.
This year's pay claim could be one of the last national claims in British Rail, as national bargaining on pay and conditions go ut of the window. However despite a mandate from the 1990 AGM, the RMT is letting each sector and group of workers fight on their own.
Just before the pay ballot was called, the union had geared up members for industrial action against BR's plan to break up the national negotiation machinery. Mass meetings were held up and down the country and a bal lot was widely expected.
Miserly
The miserly pay offer only increased members' expectations: that a ballot would be called linking the two issues together and so gaining maximum unity. Now, not only have the union executive failed the membership on pay, but more importantly they seem determined to allow the break-up of the industry by refusing to call for industrial action in defence of national conditions.
Calling off the pay ballot at the eleventh hour has made it that much more difficult to conThis time though, it is not be RMT leader Jimmy Knapp vince members that the RMT leadership is serious about defending members' rights and conditions. As Rifkind makes his proposals on the rail industry - which will lead to privatisation - only united industrial action can secure jobs and conditions and make the railways a real public service.
All of the rail unions have failed their membership at a crucial time. British Rail now has a green light to go ahead and destroy the industry. And it is the union leadership who threw the switch.
UCATT The bosses in the building industry have already responded to the election result with the offer of a 4.5 per cent wage rise and a threat to tear-up union agreements. These attacks will be a key test for the new leadership in mobilising the rank and file.
The right-wing General Secretary Albert Williams is retiring this month and now balloting is taking place for his successor. Socialist Organiser inform their readers that this is an uninspiring choice. Although this may be true UCATT members cannot afford to abstain. With one candidate being a freemason, another hardly seen by activists, and with the Broad Left not having an alternative, the only contender with any record at all is George Branwell.
Ballot-rigging must be dealt with. But it has to be dealt with by the members. In the face of the bosses' offensive more court cases and more blood-letting won't take building workers one step forward.
No. 3 The strikers waged a vigorous campaign against the threat of redundancies, addressing over CPSA workplace meetings.
The Department of Social Security (DSS) workers argued for a nationally co-ordinated campaign of strike action against job cuts. In some areas they successfully encouraged workers to ballot for strike action.
The union's DSS conference had agreed on a national campaign around the issue, but the section leadership had failed to act. The Hull action has now shown the effectiveness of well-organised local strike action. Now the pressure for a national campaign needs to be increased. Hull strikers Engineering workers in Hull have now been on strike for over one month, demanding a shorter working week.
The sixteen strikers have continued to picket the Parsons factory, and have recently won increased support in the area, particularly from the nearby British Aerospace plant.
But while the resolve of the strikers remains strong, the plant management have maintained an intransigent line, refusing to meet AEU full-time officials. Workers have responded with plans to increase the impact of the strike - a mass picket of the plant has been called in conjunction with the local trades council.
But now steps need to be taken to increase support from production workers in the plant, who are still working. The workers, mainly GMB members, are not hostile to the strike, but have been actively discouraged from supporting the action by their local union full-timer.
The action now needs to be broadened, given that the outcome of the dispute will clearly determine the future hours and conditions of ail the workers in the plant.
June 8, 1991 Page 15
step up fight for shorter working week