Emergency Motion E6 : CWU Annual Conference 2008

[TrueBlueTerrier]

LTB 368/09 - Emergency Motion E6 : CWU Annual Conference 2008


No. 368/09
Ref GS 11.0 E
Date: 24 April 2009
To All Branches

Dear Colleague

Emergency Motion E6 : CWU Annual Conference 2008

Further to LTB 106/09. This is to advise Branches that the CWU National Executive Council met on 25th March and decided that the CWU will write to all Labour MEP candidates asking them to confirm opposition to part privatisation of Royal Mail. Any MEP candidate not supporting this policy will receive no financial support from the CWU leading up to and during the European Elections. The CWU will also suspend funding to the Labour MP's who have refused to sign EDM 428 until such time as General Conference policy contained in Motion E6 is carried out.

All decisions relating to the enactment of the 2008 General conference Motion, including the ballot timetable, will be enacted by the CWU National Executive Council.

The terms of Emergency Motion, E6 which was supported by the National Executive Council and subsequently carried at Annual Conference 2008, is as follows:

"Conference condemns the recent submissions by Postcomm and Royal Mail to the Hooper review received at CWU Headquarters on 23rd May calling for the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Conference further notes that within Royal Mail's submission to the Hooper Review it states that Royal Mail may have to alter the Pension Scheme again within 3 years.

Conference reaffirms its total opposition to privatisation in any form. This includes outright privatisation, joint ventures, splitting the business and allowing private companies to take over parts of it or infusions of private capital. We demand that the Government rules out privatisation as a possible outcome of the Review. Conference regards the issue of ownership as outside the terms of reference given to Hooper's team.

Conference therefore instructs the NEC to launch an immediate unprecedented campaign amongst the public, politicians, business, media and CWU members to maintain Royal Mail as a 100% publicly owned company.

Conference further instructs the NEC to lobby the Government in order to achieve our vision of a wholly publicly owned Royal Mail - continuing to provide an end to end postal service in the interests of the public - with clearly defined social obligations that can operate in a commercial market with a level playing field, and where the cost of maintaining the USO is met by all.

Conference also instructs the NEC to apply pressure on the Government to force them to face up to their responsibility as shareholder in order to protect and maintain the final salary pension scheme in line with other public sector workers.

Conference also instructs the NEC to lobby the Government to protect the Post Office Counter Network, including call for a judicial review.

Conference further agrees that if the Government fails to agree to the full terms of this motion by March 2009 then the CWU membership will be balloted on whether they believe the Union should fund the Labour Party at the next General Election.

The NEC is instructed accordingly."

History of Affiliation

Branches may wish to note the following:

In the aftermath of TUC General Strike held in 1926, the then Conservative Government took action against Civil Servants. In 1927 it introduced the Trades Dispute Act. This was placed before Parliament by Winston Churchill MP at the time Stanley Baldwin was Prime Minister. The Act made it illegal for Civil Service Unions to affiliate to the TUC and the Labour Party. In 1945 - 1951 the Labour Government repealed the legislation. As a result of the legislation the Union of Post Office Workers re-affiliated to the Labour Party in 1947. The Post Office Engineering Union re-affiliated in 1963 and the National Communications Union (Clerical Section) re-affiliated in 1991.

Branches may wish to utilise the information contained within this LTB.

Any enquiries on this LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary's Department quoting the reference GS 11.0.

Yours sincerely

Billy Hayes
General Secretary

[Big Daz]

[BELIAL]

I hope this is a suspension that can only be ended by conducting another ballot to gain membership approval

[brothermagrew]

Not before time.

[k979aaa]

I have a motion when i get up before work everyday why can we not have action and by the way it is MEP'S (EUROPE) that was conceded ten years ago what about the leaches and hangers on :mfo and our MP'S !.

[Big Daz]

MP's that havent signed the EDM will have funding stoped

All decisions relating to the enactment of the 2008 General conference Motion, including the ballot timetable, will be enacted by the CWU National Executive Council.

I would imagine that the timing of the ballot will be debated at Conference.

[Pinky 1]

Hooray ! ...... and about bloody time too

[Big Daz]

Here is a question for you all to muse over.

Will the ballot question will be about donating funds to Labour for their general election campaign rather than a question of keeping the link?

Thats how I read the motion.

[BELIAL]

I hope this is a suspension that can only be ended by conducting another ballot to gain membership approval

[Martin Walsh]

As someone who was invovled in the drafting of E6 the reason says its about whether you fund the labour party at the next election is that if you dont fund you disaffilate as you break the Labour party rules. So E6 really is about giving the members a vote on whether we disaffliate from the labour party.

Big Daz whilst the issue of affilation will be debated at this years confernece as there are several motions in on that issue I dont think we need to debate E6 as an election wont take place till at least October at the earliest and unless something drastic happens probalby wont take place until next year. The issue of privitisation and what E6 dictates will be resolved one way or the other before the House of commons july recess as the second reading in the house is probalby going to be in the second or third week in June.

[stokes11eg]

As someone who was invovled in the drafting of E6 the reason says its about whether you fund the labour party at the next election is that if you dont fund you disaffilate as you break the Labour party rules. So E6 really is about giving the members a vote on whether we disaffliate from the labour party.

Big Daz whilst the issue of affilation will be debated at this years confernece as there are several motions in on that issue I dont think we need to debate E6 as an election wont take place till at least October at the earliest and unless something drastic happens probalby wont take place until next year. The issue of privitisation and what E6 dictates will be resolved one way or the other before the House of commons july recess as the second reading in the house is probalby going to be in the second or third week in June.

just hope the money they save in not funding highly paid M.P.s goes to support the
fee paying Union Members who come out on strike.!And can anybody say how much these people are funded to the tune of??

[Big Daz]

As someone who was invovled in the drafting of E6 the reason says its about whether you fund the labour party at the next election is that if you dont fund you disaffilate as you break the Labour party rules. So E6 really is about giving the members a vote on whether we disaffliate from the labour party.

Thanks Dingo, for clarifying E6.

I shall have to have a read of LP rules.

[Big Daz]

MEP 's can simply say yes they support us we opose the sell of even if its a pack of lies.

They will not be voting in parliment, so will not have to put their money where their mouth is so to speak.