In the Swindon advertiser

Post by **stephen500** » 03 Aug 2007, 16:43

http://www.thisisswindon.co.uk/news/swi ... _fight.php
LettersEDITOR'S CHOICE

CWU fighting the good fight
DISRUPTION of postal services is not exactly what any reader needs, but we should not be joining the chorus of disapproval, backed by Government and employers, deployed against postal workers and their union.

We should be four-square behind the Communication Workers Union in its efforts to defend jobs, living standards and quality of service.

The Government refuses to become directly involved in a public corporation in which it is the sole shareholder.

advertisementBut it is no secret where it stands - side by side with the Post Office bosses and against the reasonable demands of the CWU.

Government ministers attack the union's decision to back its position with industrial action, noting sniffily that negotiations are preferable to strikes.

They must know that it is not the union that is refusing to negotiate.

It is well-heeled Royal Mail bosses Allan Leighton and Adam Crozier.

CWU Leader Billy Hayes has constantly sought negotiations with the board, but he has been stonewalled by a management which insists that, while it will not budge an inch, it is prepared to patiently explain to the union again the reasons for doing so.

In other words, the decision has been made and, if trade unionists are too thick to understand why the Royal Mail plan cannot be varied, the dynamic duo are ready to enlighten them.

This is not negotiation. The CWU and its members understand fully the case made by management.

They simply don't agree with it and are proposing a different approach.

Mr Leighton, who works one day a week as Post Office chairman and tells postal staff that they are 40 per cent underworked, spins the Goebbels-style lie that CWU members are simply opposed to modernisation.

But, to him, modernisation translates as a real-terms cut in staff pay, 40,000 jobs going down the pan and worsened postal services for domestic customers.

Royal Mail has a special place in the affections of people in this country and the vast majority - especially pensioners, many of whom depend heavily on our posties - want the union to be successful.

It won't be easy. There is a European Union-wide assault on postal services, with EU commission directives 97/67/EC and 2002/30/EC laying down a route to marketisation and privatisation.

Postal service trade unionists from 27 EU states are up in arms against the free-market zealots who have laid down that all protection of member-state post offices must end by the end of next year.

This appears to be Royal Mail bosses' pre-emptive strike to enter this cut-throat EU-wide rat race as a lean, mean machine where profits count more than people.

The CWU battle has to be won or the rampant neo-liberals of the Brown Government and the EU will continue to wipe their boots on the rest of us and treat working people as disposable pawns on a free-market chessboard.

M MORTON.

Swindon
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IWW Fellow Worker · Post by **IWW Fellow Worker** » 03 Aug 2007, 17:24

What a great piece. It puts most of the national press to shame.

Post by **dvbuk55** » 03 Aug 2007, 17:57

IWW Fellow Worker wrote:What a great piece. It puts most of the national press to shame.

I agree. I especially liked the reference to Goebbels - who said "the bigger the lie the more people believe it" - the Managers seem to think Leighton is either the new messiah or are too stupid to realise how little credence he puts in negotiation, or are too afraid to confront the lie. Lets just hope that what happened in Germany in the 30s is not repeated here.

IWW Fellow Worker · Post by **IWW Fellow Worker** » 03 Aug 2007, 18:00

dvbuk55 wrote:
IWW Fellow Worker wrote:What a great piece. It puts most of the national press to shame.
I agree. I especially liked the reference to Goebbels - who said "the bigger the lie the more people believe it" - the Managers seem to think Leighton is either the new messiah or are too stupid to realise how little credence he puts in negotiation, or are too afraid to confront the lie. Lets just hope that what happened in Germany in the 30s is not repeated here.

strike breakers, bosses and fascists mate. They're all the same.

johno47 · Post by **johno47** » 03 Aug 2007, 18:30

It is a good piece, i wish some of the so called journalists would take the time to investigate the true facts...UNITY IS STRENGTH.

Post by **UNION IVOR** » 03 Aug 2007, 18:44

come on you posties lets kick ass
from the swindon boys

coppertop · Post by **coppertop** » 03 Aug 2007, 18:49

What a great bit of journelism fantastic, it's support like this that really lifts you up. Shame more papers are not as frank.

Spartacus · Post by **Spartacus** » 03 Aug 2007, 18:55

Better than most stuff that has come from the CWU.

Post by **dvbuk55** » 03 Aug 2007, 19:21

Spartacus wrote:Better than most stuff that has come from the CWU.

That is actually quite a valid point - perhaps the CWU should be quoting the likes of this in their media blurb.

L Tommo · Post by **L Tommo** » 03 Aug 2007, 19:34

SUPERB

Made me wanna get up and knock down the door of number 10 and sit on that fat bastards desk and ask wot he and his goverment are gonna do about all this little mess???? The same mess that they want to evolve by not helping but chucking fuel on the fire.....

DONT VOTE OR PAY ANYTHING TO ANY POLITICAL PARTY!!!

OUT

Yahoorsur · Post by **Yahoorsur** » 03 Aug 2007, 20:32

Great piece of agit-prop,it has more passion and power in it than the Labour party has had in the last ten years,the writer needs to get more on a national stge

DirtyHarry · Post by **DirtyHarry** » 03 Aug 2007, 20:55

Well done, the Swindon advertiser.

ROYALMAILCHAT

In the Swindon advertiser

In the Swindon advertiser

SWINDON