Royal Mail handed over to billionaire boss – CWU must demand nationalisation
Gary Clark, Socialist Party Scotland and retired CWU member
The government has approved the takeover of Royal Mail by EP group whose majority shareholder is multi-billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, with a personal wealth said to be over £9 billion. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has said it has reached a “groundbreaking” negotiators’ agreement which covers a number of issues related to the future of Royal Mail including job security, improved terms and conditions, and a “radical” new governance and business model, with a meaningful stake in the business for employees.
Royal Mail was privatised in 2013, and since has been completely run into the ground with shareholders and company directors gaining millions while the quality of service has been destroyed.
CWU members took strike action in 2022 for better pay and conditions. But the lack of planning and leadership at the top of the union led to many members losing faith in the leadership. The union lost thousands of members and has struggled to recruit new Royal Mail workers on worse terms and conditions.
Another serious mistake from the leaders of the union was their retreat from demanding that Royal Mail is brought back into the public sector. A CWU motion to Labour Party conference in 2022 changed Labour Party policy to be in favour of renationalising Royal Mail. Royal Mail workers will be seeing railway companies being brought back into public ownership. Meanwhile, the CWU, which is affiliated to the Labour Party, has a leadership which fails to demand this from the Labour Government. Many will be asking: why are we still affiliated?
We need to be clear, the new owners are there for one reason only: that’s to make money for the shareholders and not to look after the workforce or the quality of service. The only thing that would do that is a complete renationalisation of Royal Mail – not with the same management structure but democratic worker and community control of our postal service. This is what the leadership of the CWU should be fighting the Labour government for.
