Union says it will oppose Royal Mail privatisation

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.newstatesman.com/economy/201 ... ce-network" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Postal Services Bill seeks to privatise Royal Mail, and to separate it from the post office network.

The UK government's plan to privatise the Royal Mail angered unions, business and pensioner groups as it sparked fears of reduced pension rights and forced redundancies.

Dave Ward, the post workers' union leader, threatened that workers could even resort to a strike to prevent the coalition government's flagship privatisation going through.

The plan triggered resentment despite a government pledge to spend £1.34bn on subsidising the UK network over four years - £180m next year, £410m in 2012-13, £415m in £2013-14 and £330m in 2014-15.

"The last thing we want is that, after all the time and effort we have put in to secure a working agreement with the management of the Royal Mail, is to see this company handed over to an army of private investors," Ward told a parliamentary committee of MPs considering the Postal Services Bill.

Expressing his concerns about the government's plan to nationalise the £25bn Royal Mail pension scheme - with a deficit of up to £10bn - Ward said, "Members' pensions is a real worry for us."

Moreover, the government's decision not to set up a state-backed Post Office Bank drew criticism from the National Pensioners Convention, which said, "This is an extremely short-sighted decision which will put the future of the Post Office network in jeopardy."

The Postal Services Bill seeks to privatise Royal Mail, and to separate it from the post office network.

[ziko]

Dave Ward, the post workers' union leader, threatened that workers could even resort to a strike to prevent the coalition government's flagship privatisation going through.

Powerful words Dave, Could...?

[DirtyHarry]

I really cannot understand buffoons like Dave Ward.
After years of allowing Royal Mail bosses to trample over workers terms and conditions of employment, years in which both the dignity and the status of a postal worker have plummeted to all-time lows, years which have seen a ruthless, throw-back to the 1840s style of management rub out over 60,000 jobs, and have only recently given them permission to do away with at least 30,000 more jobs, now he gets on his high horse because we may go from being a pretend private concern, to a fully fledged private concern.
And us? What difference will it make to us?
My own opinion is, none, none whatsoever, we will still be at the mercy of a belligerent management, and we'll still be doing a job that has gone to the dogs, and then some, and as for any sense of job security, it will be as it is now, non existent.

I believe, firmly believe, that the very moment Hayes, or Ward, uttered the trite words, "we understand the need for modernisation," and with no dire warning to management as to what would happen if they couldn't achieve modernisation without the need to goosestep over workers terms & conditions, the CWU gave the green light to Westminster to plough ahead with long drawn up plans to sell off Britain's postal service to the highest foreign bidder.

I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

[mnev721]

Dave Ward, the post workers' union leader, threatened that workers could even resort to a strike to prevent the coalition government's flagship privatisation going through.

Powerful words Dave, Could...?

don't you mean word not words

[dvbuk55]

Dave Ward, the post workers' union leader, threatened that workers could even resort to a strike to prevent the coalition government's flagship privatisation going through.

Powerful words Dave, Could...?

don't you mean word not words

Powerful first post there mnev

[belle smith]

Dave Ward, the post workers' union leader, threatened that workers could even resort to a strike to prevent the coalition government's flagship privatisation going through.

Powerful words Dave, Could...?

don't you mean word not words

Powerful first post there mnev