CWU ballots BT workers for strike over pay

Written by Clive Walder, CWU Birmingham, Black Country and Worcester Branch, personal capacity Friday, 11 June 2010 15:29

The CWU is set to ballot its members in BT for industrial action over pay for the first time since 1987.

Last year the union recommended its members accepted only a £400 non consolidated payment and reductions in pension benefits because the company pleaded poverty after making its first loss since the 1970s.

Fight BT’s National Pay Deal

Written by CWU member Wednesday, 09 June 2010 08:30

BT has offered workers a 2% pay rise with two one-off payments of £250 – one of which will be at the managers discretion. This pathetic offer is nothing in comparison to BT’s profits which were up 11% in the third quarter of 2009. BT rejected the CWU’s claim of 5% despite the fact that this would only equate to just 1.1% of the companies £5.7 billion projected annual profit. Meanwhile, BT’s profits look set to go up. The recent volcanic ash cloud and its lingering problems for air travel will mean a surge in conference calling – a definite unexpected increase in BT’s profits.

Royal Mail deal not acceptable

Written by Gary Clark, assistant branch secretary, Scotland No.2 branch CWU Wednesday, 17 March 2010 12:00

Fight needed to safeguard jobs and working conditions

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) leadership have agreed a deal with Royal Mail that they say “delivers on the major issues which postal workers have fought for”. The 80 page agreement has been met with a wide range of views amongst CWU members, as it has produced many “winners” but also a large amount of losers. Many delivery workers could lose between £10 and £30 a week.

Royal Mail: Solid strike action forces concessions

Written by Administrator Tuesday, 17 November 2009 00:00

 CWU must prepare for fresh attacks after election
By a Socialist Party postal worker

The conditions in Belfast would appear to be no different from anywhere else in the UK. 61,623 (76.24%) of Royal Mail employees are all in agreement that things need to change. The promise of a ‘Great Place To Work’ made by former Chairman Allan Leighton may well be true if you’re a manager with top directors receiving millions of pounds in pay and bonus.

'Modernisation' means cuts: Support the postal workers' fightback

Written by Administrator Tuesday, 03 November 2009 00:00

By a Coventry postal worker, 3 November 2009

The roots of this dispute and the reasons for these strikes go all the way back to 2002 and the appointment of Allan Leighton and Adam Crozier as chairman and chief executive of Royal Mail. Since they took over, there have been 60,000 job losses. Or cuts to you and me. So the people who are left are working harder and harder. 'Modernisation' simply means cuts.

Time to plan for all-out postal strike
Editorial The Socialist, Socialist Party England & Wales, 3 November 2009

PUBLIC MEETING CANCELLED:
Due to the cancellation of postal workers' strike action

Time to plan for all-out postal strike

Written by Administrator Tuesday, 03 November 2009 00:00

 Editorial, The Socialist (Socialist Party England & Wales)

The third week of national strike action at Royal Mail has seen the bosses on the run. They fear the disruption of mail in the pre-Christmas period when over two billion letters, cards and parcels are processed through the system.

They thought they could force the union into making more concessions just as they did in the 2007 deal, which many postal workers (and how right they were) feared was the thin edge of the wedge. The plans of Royal Mail to cut jobs, intensify workloads and drive working conditions back into the Victorian age have been completely exposed by their actions since the 2007 deal.

National Postal strikes begin

Written by Administrator Friday, 23 October 2009 00:00

A battle that mass strike action can win
From the Socialist, paper of the Socialist Party (CWI in England & Wales)

Royal Mail bosses in Britain have declared war on the postal workers and their union, the Communication Workers Union (CWU). They are intent on providing a worsening mail service to the public and on giving post workers intolerable workloads and terms.