Postal workers are ready for the fight of their lives

Gary Clark, Scotland No.2 branch CWU branch secretary (personal capacity) 

Postal workers are involved in the fight of our lives, and our members know it. A massive 97.1% vote for strike action on a huge turn out that demolished the anti-union ballot thresholds tells us all we need to know about the mood of anger and determination among CWU members.

And the reason is clear. Rico Back and the new team of Royal Mail executives want to breakup the business. They want to rip Royal Mail to shreds for the benefit of the hedge funds, big business and capitalism.

Rico Back has came into the role of CEO with a golden hello of £6 million and a package of around £2.7 million a year. His role is to break the strength of the CWU.

This is a result of the sell off of Royal Mail and the push towards maximum profit and the rundown of the service. We’re due a shorter working week, a one-hour reduction from the ‘four pillars’ agreement, but management has backtracked. Royal Mail bosses are also walking away from national agreements.

They want to do away with 40,000 jobs, which amount to a third of the workforce. Bullying of our members by management is rife across the industry.

This is a fight to defend the public service too. If we lose this fight the public service is gone. The biggest obstacle to their plans is the CWU and our determination to resist.

We’re planning strike action in the run-up to Xmas. Rico Back is preparing as well. Royal Mail are starting to employ agency staff on a full time basis, cutting across all agreements and stopping our members getting overtime.

Reportedly, 6,000 extra workers are being recruited for warehouses and as drivers, a large part of this will be an attempt to build an army to undermine the strike. We also expect Royal Mail to take legal action to try and prevent the strike going ahead in the run up to Xmas.

This is very likely to be a bitter dispute. We will need the support of the whole trade union movement.

In whose interests is Royal Mail to be run? Is it for big business and the vultures of capitalism or about providing a public service?

The general election on December 12 will once again illustrate how important postal workers are. Political parties have election material delivered by CWU members. Postal votes are increasingly important.

It’s vital that Jeremy Corbyn uses his pledge to renationalise Royal Mail as a centre piece of the election campaign. Corbyn’s backing for our action is also very important.

Socialist Party Scotland believes that the best way to properly reward the workforce and to improve the public service is by renationalising Royal Mail under democratic workers’ control. Our members are fighting to defend a public service from big business vultures.

It’s the public’s fight too. Support the union, demand public ownership of the industry.

Victory to the CWU!