ANTI PRIVATISATION CAMPAIGN

[Geezer]

No. 608/10 Ref GS 11.0 Date: 9th July 2010

(All Branches)

TO: The Branch Secretary



Dear Colleague

ANTI PRIVATISATION CAMPAIGN

Following on from Emergency Motion 10 carried at Annual Conference 2010 (copy attached for ease of reference), work is continuing on the follow-up to the motion. This LTB is intended as a summary of activity which has taken place since Annual Conference.

Work is also continuing on other important issues - Regulation and Pensions. This will be reported upon in a separate LTB.

Given the importance to our members and the size of the task before the CWU, it will be noted that the CWU’s previous campaign against privatisation was voted “Campaign of 2009” by an independent panel of judges. This, together with other recent awards is a credit to the CWU.

Campaign Committee
A Campaign Committee has been established at CWU Headquarters. It meets fortnightly and the third meeting is due to take place on July 12th. Regional Secretaries are giving a weekly input into the campaign committee via the General Secretary’s Office.

Coalition Government
On the 7th June a meeting took place with the Secretary of State, Vince Cable together with Ed Davey, Minister with specific responsibility for Royal Mail. Further meetings are planned in the near future.

The Union has also engaged lobbyists who have particular skills in dealing with the Coalition Government

Party Conference
The Conservative Party Conference is due to take place in Birmingham from October 4th – October 7th. A CWU Fringe Meeting has been arranged for Sunday October 3rd in the ICC Marquee 4.





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The Lib Dems Conference is due to take place in Liverpool from September 20th to September 23rd. A CWU Fringe Meeting has been arranged for Sunday September 19th from 1.00 – 2.00 pm in the DODDS Marquee.

The Labour Party Conference is due to take place in Manchester from September 26th – September 30th. Steps are being put in place to ensure that Labour Party Conference will reaffirm opposition to privatisation in line with the Labour Party Manifesto 2010. Together with the recognition of previous decisions – National Policy Forum, Labour Party Conference, Parliamentary Labour Party, e.g. Early Day Motions.

Other Party Conferences
A scoping exercise is taking place to ensure intervention and attendance at other Party Conferences.

TUC Congress
The TUC Congress is taking place im Manchester from September 13th – September 17th. Nearer the date an Emergency Motion will be drafted for debate at the TUC.

Richard Hooper
Richard Hooper has written to the CWU and a response is currently being prepared (See LTB 591/10). A meeting will take place with him on Monday July 19th.

Briefing of Parliamentarians
The General Secretary and the Deputy General Secretary (Postal) will address Members of Parliament from all Parties at a specially organised briefing to update them on the Union’s stance on the privatisation question, and outstanding industrial issues.

A mass lobby of Parliament is planned for September when Parliament resumes. The Summer Recess takes place from July 29th – September 6th.

Labour Party Leadership Election
The General Secretary is meeting with all Labour Party leadership candidates prior to the CWU Hustings meeting due to take place on Wednesday July 14th, Telford Theatre, Institute of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, Westminster, SW1P 3AA (see LTB No’s 590/10 and 603/10) The requirement for a specific commitment with a 3 line whip against the Privatisation Bill is being raised at those meetings. The same question has also been raised via TULO. Peter Donaghy, Chair of the PFMC and Vice Chair of the PEC, has tabled the question.



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Parliamentary Labour Party
Contact has been maintained with the PLP, continuing to build on the support received by senior PLP members in the last Parliament.

Lobby of Deputy Prime Minister’s Constituency – Sheffield Hallam
A lobby of the constituency of the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, is in the planning stage for September – a date is being examined.

Regional Secretaries
The Regional Secretaries are giving weekly updates to the General Secretary via Conference Calls which take place every Monday at 2.00 pm. A full meeting of the Regional Secretaries is due to take place on Tuesday July 13th.

Building a Coalition
A template on building a coalition in the regions is currently being drawn up.

Campaign Material - Key Dates
An examination of the effectiveness of the tactics and material used in the previous campaign is currently underway.

Mail Shot
A mail shot, sent directly to members, explaining the rationale of the Union’s opposition to privatisation and associated issues is being drawn up.

Any enquiries on this LTB should be addressed to the General Secretary’s Office quoting the reference GS 11.0

Yours sincerely



BILLY HAYES DAVE WARD
GENERAL SECRETARY DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY (P)

[Dogs of War]

Will not make a difference Royal Mail will be privatised this time next year.

[dvbuk55]

The Union has also engaged lobbyists who have particular skills in dealing with the Coalition Government

Be interesting to know who the CWU has engaged with particular skills in lobbying the Coalition Government of some 6 weeks - they've soon learned those skills right enough - and how much are they costing? - fortunately none of my money.

[Cut Off King]

Following on from Emergency Motion 10 carried at Annual Conference 2010

If I remember rightly, the motion for using STRIKE ACTION was defeated.....A paper tiger aproach me thinks

[subbie]

The bit that I cannot understand is the CWU are launching a campaign against a proposal that they have not even seen the detail of, it may well benefit Royal Mail Workers,
Its all so stereotypical of them.

Subbie

[TrueBlueTerrier]

The bit that I cannot understand is the CWU are launching a campaign against a proposal that they have not even seen the detail of, it may well benefit Royal Mail Workers,
Its all so stereotypical of them.

Subbie

If you check the Motion (E10) which is attached as part of the LTB on Geezers post you will see why. Conference voted on it and it was carried, the wording amounts to campaigning against any attempt to privatise Royal Mail, or take it out of public ownership. There is no apparent wriggle room at all.

[belle smith]

Following on from Emergency Motion 10 carried at Annual Conference 2010

If I remember rightly, the motion for using STRIKE ACTION was defeated.....A paper tiger aproach me thinks

I think that would be illegal anyway. besides who wants to strike for this? they/we caved in on our pensions and T&C already why would this be more important?

[dvbuk55]

Following on from Emergency Motion 10 carried at Annual Conference 2010

If I remember rightly, the motion for using STRIKE ACTION was defeated.....A paper tiger aproach me thinks

I think that would be illegal anyway. besides who wants to strike for this? they/we caved in on our pensions and T&C already why would this be more important?

That is one very salient question belle and it doesn't take a great deal of working out really - who is most affected by a lower pension - the ordinary worker, who is most affected by poorer terms and conditions - the ordinary worker - now who tends to suffer indignities when a company formerly owned by the government is sold off to private buyers, when there is no influence from the people supported by a union, when the person the board answer to is a shareholder and not a government, and that shareholder is more than likely to be the ordinary worker.

I'll bet you'll see one helluva campaign not to privatise UNLESS there is a preferential share price to be had by large organisations......................this is a new era of ConDems and it could be that some will be condemned to history

[andy2007]

Following on from Emergency Motion 10 carried at Annual Conference 2010

If I remember rightly, the motion for using STRIKE ACTION was defeated.....A paper tiger aproach me thinks

I think that would be illegal anyway. besides who wants to strike for this? they/we caved in on our pensions and T&C already why would this be more important?

That is one very salient question belle and it doesn't take a great deal of working out really - who is most affected by a lower pension - the ordinary worker, who is most affected by poorer terms and conditions - the ordinary worker - now who tends to suffer indignities when a company formerly owned by the government is sold off to private buyers, when there is no influence from the people supported by a union, when the person the board answer to is a shareholder and not a government, and that shareholder is more than likely to be the ordinary worker.

I'll bet you'll see one helluva campaign not to privatise UNLESS there is a preferential share price to be had by large organisations......................this is a new era of ConDems and it could be that some will be condemned to history

How many ordinary workers do you know, who can afford enough shares, to have any real say in how a company is run?
Yes, ordinary workers do sometimes own shares. But to have any real say, you need a lot of them. And that costs serious money. It'll be wealthy people, Pension funds, etc., who'll have enough shares to have influence. Not the likes of you and me.

[dvbuk55]

The likes of you and me ARE the pension funds - was, is and always will be. It doesn't really matter which pension fund you belong to company or private.

Pension funds like unions need members in order to finance investment which in turn finances the pension.

[andy2007]

True. But the decisions are made by the Pension Trustees, not by us. Have you EVER been invited to a shareholders meeting, for one of the companies that your Pension Scheme invests in?
I know I haven't.

[BELIAL]

True. But the decisions are made by the Pension Trustees, not by us. Have you EVER been invited to a shareholders meeting, for one of the companies that your Pension Scheme invests in?
I know I haven't.

:left:No he has not, and what's more he has never voted on the level of bonuses or charges his pension fund administrators apply to his piffling stash , Have you?

[andy2007]

Exactly!

It's all very well him saying that Privatisation would give us more of a say. But the reality is, that it would give more money to those who already have plenty, and have absolutely no effect on the amount of say we have. Plus the extra drive to push up profits for the shareholders, will mean more cuts, and a worse service!

[dvbuk55]

The truth of the matter is financially you WOULD be better off in a privatised company, there would just be fewer of you, with a higher expectation of productivity, flexibility and motivated by the share in profits.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

The truth of the matter is financially you WOULD be better off in a privatised company, there would just be fewer of you, with a higher expectation of productivity, flexibility and motivated by the share in profits.

Sorry WOULD is too definitive a statement I think perhaps COULD would be a better and more accurate statement. Not one I would agree with given the Dutch and German Postal Workers situations though.