[Imc-birmingham] feature proposal: Postal workers walk out

[Shiar]

Hi,

I'd like to propose the following feature for the middle column.

I'll be away over teh weekend. Could someone please publish it when the 24
hours are up?

Cheers,

-- 
Shiar

-------

Title: Postal workers walk out over planned pay and job cuts

Author: IMC Birmingham

Image: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/images/2007/06/374727.jpg

Abstract:
<p>
Up to 130,000 postal workers took part in a 24-hour <a
href="/en/regions/birmingham/2007/06/374534.html">strike</a> on Friday
-the first in 11 years- to stop the Royal Mail's cost-cutting plans, which
the Communication Workers Union (CWU) <a
href="/en/regions/birmingham/2007/06/374640.html">says</a> would only mean
cuts in members' pay and pensions, job cuts and more post office closures.
Picket lines were mounted outside sorting offices and mail centres across
the country from early morning, disrupting mail deliveries for the
day.</p>
<p>
In Birmingham, two picket lines at the front and back gates of the main
mail centre in Newtown saw, on and off, tens of postal workers and their
supporters, while 'Royal Mail police' were trying to break up the picket
lines, intimidating and threatening picketers. There was also another
picket line  in the city centre. [<a
href="/en/regions/birmingham/2007/06/374716.html">report and pics</a>]</p>
<p>
Last week, a well-attended <a
href="http://www.savegloucestermailcentre.co.uk/marchrally.htm">march</a>
took place in Gloucester, followed by a rally in the docks, as part of a
<a href="http://www.savegloucestermailcentre.co.uk/why.htm">campaign</a>
against the planned closure of the Gloucester Mail Centre. A similar <a
href="/en/regions/birmingham/2007/03/366674.html">march and rally</a> were
held in Coventry city centre last March to protest against the planned
closure of Coventry's sorting office.</p>
<p>
<strong>Links:</strong> <a
href="http://www.cwu.org/default.asp?step=8&CamID=32">CWU's Save Postal
Services campaign</a>

Content:

<h4>The fight will go on</h4>
<p>
Having tried "every measure possible" to seek a fair resolution to the
long dispute with the Royal Mail management, 77% of CWU members had voted
for industrial action to "force the Royal Mail to think again." The
management has repeatedly refused the CWU offers of meaningful talks. </p>
<p>
Back in 2006, Royal Mail and the CWU had agreed that they would work
together to tackle the impact of competition in the mail market, use
government investment to introduce automation, improve efficiency,
introduce innovation products and raise the value and status of postal
workers' jobs. Royal Mail, however, ditched the agreement, refused to
negotiate a pay resettlement and insisted on unilateral imposition of its
cost-cutting business plan with mass job losses and cuts to workers' pay
and pensions. Furthermore, the Royal Mail management has been deliberately
misleading the public by claiming that the CWU want a 27% pay rise. The
CWU said they had never demanded a 27% pay rise.</p>
<p>
The CWU has warned of a fresh round of industrial action unless the
deadlocked row is resolved. However, the union said it was holding back
from naming fresh strike dates for a week, in the hope of restarting
meaningful talks with Royal Mail.</p>

<h4>It ain't so easy</h4>
<p>
Starved of investment for decades, Royal Mail now faces unfair competition
from private operators who, for a discounted price, collect and sort
profitable bulk business mail before passing it on to Royal Mail to
deliver over the "final mile". The result is that Royal Mail has lost
millions of pounds in revenues while the profits of private competitors
have soared.</p>
<p>
Since the Postal Services Act 2000 was introduced, over 1,000 post offices
around the country have been closed down, paving the way for private
companies to take over. There are further plans to close some 70 post
offices in the near future and relocate the services into WH Smith stores.
Yet, operators such as TNT or DHL only handle the bulk transit between
major customers and the main sorting offices, which is the easy bit, while
Royal Mail is still expected to make the individual deliveries, but
without the full amount of the postage.</p>
<p>
On the picket lines in Birmingham, postal workers spoke of low salaries
and hardships, insecurities and increasingly precarious working
conditions. Many workers are being hired or contracted on a short-term or
temporary basis, mostly part-time, sometimes for days or even hours. This
is why, one picketer explained, a lot of them are afraid of joining the
picket lines. "They simply want to improve their work conditions and that
requires the blessing of their bosses," she added.</p>

<h4>Official lies</h4>
<p>
Two Indymedia 'reporters' with a video camera went in to see the Mail
Centre's management to get the other side of the story, so to speak, but
"no one was available for interviews," they were told after some waiting.
They were, however, given the official statement of Royal Mail, which
stated that the company is "extremely disappointed that the Union has
failed to grasp the need for the business to modernise and embarked on
strike action that is damaging for our customers, our people and the
company." The statement also claimed, among other things, that there have
been 25% pay increase since 2002 and bonus payments totalling £1,500.
"Nonetheless," it added, "we do want to further increase pay and rewards
for our people. The offer on the table is a fair and realistic one – a
2.5% increase in basic pensionable pay, a £800 dividend if performance
targets are hit and 50-50 share of any savings above budget at local
office level." However, "against the backdrop of an increasing tough and
shrinking market," it concluded, "we can't afford to pay more."</p>
<p>
It is well known that the top bosses of Royal Mail are paid some of the
highest salaries in the country. Earlier this month, Royal Mail 'awarded'
its chief executive, Adam Crozier, a bonus of up to £370,000 as well as 
further benefits, taking his total package to more than £1 million and
making him the highest-paid civil servant. Allan Leighton, the company’s
chairman, is also said to have received a bonus of more than £100,000.</p>
<p>
As to the "post chaos", as the infamous Birmingham Mail called it, Royal
Mail said "we have developed contingency plans in order to reduce the
effect of the strike but disruption is inevitable." Indeed, some Royal
Mail managers were seen delivering Special Deliveries in town. "For once,"
as one of the picketers put it, "let them do some real work."</p>
<p>
Friday’s postal strike saw overwhelming support. Over 95% of postal
workers across the country were said to have taken part in the action.
Royal Mail, however, claimed that support for the strike was "patchy".
Responding to this claim, which was quickly picked up by many mainstream
media [<a
href="http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/mail/news/tm_headline=mail-strike-support-claims-rejected%26method=full%26objectid=19381100%26siteid=50002-name_page.html">1</a>
| <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6251932.stm">2</a>], CWU's
General Secretary Billy Hayes said "the company has been in denial about
their workforce rejecting their plans and are now in denial about the
overwhelming support of postal workers taking strike action. It is time
for them to stop dismissing the views of their employees, return to the
table and start negotiating."</p>