RM militants threaten Coalition MPs as union squares up

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail militants threaten Coalition MPs as union squares up for 'fight of its life'

Britain's powerful postal union has begun 'the fight of its life' to destroy the Government's plans to privatise Royal Mail.

The Communication Workers' Union has drawn up a 'hitlist' of 71 of the country's most vulnerable MPs with the smallest majorities.

In each constituency, it has just started to mobilise local people to persuade their MP to agree to vote against privatisation - or lose their vote at the next election.

With the coalition Government's slim majority, this is more than enough to swing the balance to a 'no' vote on one of the most controversial privatisations for decades.

The hitlist is included in an 84-page dossier, seen by the Daily Mail, along with MPs’ contact details and extensive CVs.
The union wants people to bombard their MP and local newspaper with letters arguing against privatisation amid fears it will trigger the closure of Post Offices.

The list includes at least one Government minister, Sarah Teather, a LibDem MP and a junior education minister.

Only Tory and LibDem MPs appear on the list where a swing of less than 10 per cent is needed for the second-place Labour candidate to win at the next election.

Billy Hayes, general secretary of the CWU, said: 'We are in the fight of our life.

'We are going to make sure MPs know that they are risking their electoral future if they vote for privatisation. We hope they will see sense.'

The CWU has an impressive track record of fighting campaigns against privatisation - and winning the battle.

Previous attempts by the Government in 1994 and 2009 to privatise the embattled company have both failed, partly due to the CWU's actions.

More than 200 MPs signed an early day motion against privatisation last year, a backlash fuelled by the union's £1.8million campaign.

It has built up another war chest for the current campaign, although it has not revealed the exact size of the fighting fund.
The public is overwhelmingly opposed to privatisation, according to recent research, commissioned by the union but conducted by an independent pollster.

More than 80 per cent said they did not agree with the Government's plans to privatise one of the most important companies in Britain.

It was not just Labour voters who disagree, with 63 per cent of LibDem voters and 51 per cent of Tory voters saying they do not support the idea.

But the Government insists a 'private partner' is urgently needed to secure the future of Royal Mail, particularly the all-important 'universal service obligation.'

This promises to deliver a letter to anywhere in Britain from the Scottish highlands to the Cornish coast for the same price six days a week, as well as a delivery six-days a week.

Last week, a report, commissioned by the Government, recommended that privatisation, or a flotation of the business on the stock market, is the way forward.

At the time, Business Secretary Vince Cable said legislation is 'urgently needed' to allow the controversial change to Royal Mail's ownership to go ahead.

He warned: 'Royal Mail is facing a combination of potentially lethal challenges - falling mail volumes, low investment, not enough efficiency and a dire pension position.'

At the Trades Union Congress in Manchester, an emergency motion is expected today, proposed by the CWU and seconded by Unite, Britain's biggest union.

The wording of the emergency motion rejects the findings of Sir Richard Hooper's report and calls for support of the CWU's 'Keep the Post Public Campaign.'

It says modernisation of the service is 'most efficiently carried through as a wholly publicly-owned service.'

A postal services bill is expected in mid-October.

The CWU cannot organise strikes by its workers against the privatisation because it is illegal to strike over a political issue.

An 'industrial grievance', such as pay or terms and conditions, is needed.

It fears the privatisation of Royal Mail will lead to Post Office closures because they are dependent on work provided by their parent company.

Unions say this work could disappear if its new owner decides to desert the troubled network and find a cheaper provider of its services.

George Thomson, general secretary of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters, has also voice his fears about the impact on the Post Office network.

The Government has pledged to keep the network under public ownership. Around one third of sub-postmaster's pay comes from carrying out Royal Mail business.

Just 12,000 Post Offices are left following the latest closure programme of 2,500, which compares to a network of around 20,000 in the early 1990s.

He said: 'We need to be certain that our treasured network of Post Offices, which provide vital services to communities and small business across the UK, will not in any way be jeopardised as a result of these proposals.'


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[DirtyHarry]

So, let's see if I have this right.
Old meathead wants to target 71 odious MPs who happen to have the smallest majorities, so that he can let in 71 odious MPs belonging to the party that didn't just blow open the doors to privatisation, but blew the bloody hinges off as well.

And this does what, exactly? Keeps RM acting as though it were a private concern, riding roughshod over workers as it conducts it's slash and burn policy unhindered by the inept CWU?

You can shove your political posturing right up your fat ass, Hayes.....I stopped dancing to your tune on Nov.5th 2009 when you blatantly, willfully, sold RM workers down the river.

[Big Daz]

Hayes did nowt on the 5th, that would have been Wardy and the PEC

[norbert]

usual anti privatisation tactic ....target marginal seats ...."suddenly" the GS of a Union is a speaker in a small town .....what are they supposed to do ? , let a brylcreemed gangster or two bob spiv do a snakeoil salesman's pitch ?????

That paper makes me laugh ....it's not the 1950's anymore " Hurrah for the Blackshirts " was one of their famous headlines .

Dirty Harry has a point about Bunter though .....he didn't want to upset McBroon too much & rock the boat though the CWU fought off the Old Queen of Darkness :mfo ....now they're in opposition it's playtime

[DirtyHarry]

Hayes did nowt on the 5th, that would have been Wardy and the PEC

I distinctly remember picking up my copy of the Daily Mirror on the 6th Nov. 2009, and there on page two was the story of the CWU's cowardly capitulation, and in the midst of the report Hayes was quoted as saying, "There was no way we were going to let our customers down, we saved Christmas and were determined that we would succeed in ensuring they would have a hassle-free time over the lead-up to the festive period." That was what Hayes was accredited with saying, I bought another paper the Guardian, and there was old Billy Hayes saying the very same thing as I had read in the Mirror.

Believe me, Daz......I have little time for Ward, Gibson, and the shower on the PEC, but Hayes is the only one I know of that attributed the gross betrayal of striking postal workers to wanting to "save Christmas" for a largely apathetic public that would by and large, gladly watch postal workers slogging their guts out in all weathers, and for as little as the bosses can get away with in terms of just reward.
No way do I feel I'm unjustly singling out the GS of the CWU, after all, as GS the buck ultimately stops at him, does it not?