Workers Revolutionary Party - CWU MUST FORM PUBLIC SECTOR ALLIANCE

The News Line: News Monday, 17 August 2009 CWU MUST FORM PUBLIC SECTOR ALLIANCE

Stoke CWU members from Burslem were victimised earlier this year – Stoke CWU is out indefinitely

Another week of postal strikes begins today – affecting East Anglia, London, the South West and other parts of the UK, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced.

Royal Mail network drivers will again be striking affecting all cross-country mail services. Strike action is taking place in Nottingham, Leeds and Carrickfergus for the first time since the national dispute of 2007. All strike action is for 24 hours unless stated otherwise, the CWU said.

Meanwhile, Stoke-on-Trent has been taking continuous strike action since last Tuesday, 11th August, over plans to close their mail centre and force staff to work in Wolverhampton, which would mean a 75-mile round trip.

Stoke CWU says this breaches the Managing the Surplus national agreement with the CWU.
Supporting the Stoke action, CWU South Central No1 Branch chairman Rob Bolton told News Line yesterday: ‘The Stoke-on-Trent branch are showing that the only way that the CWU is going to defeat Royal Mail and the Brown government’s plans for the Post Office, is by taking all-out strike action.

‘CWU members realise this and that is why they have now forced the CWU leadership to call a national strike ballot. We must now reinforce the fight of the CWU by calling on all public sector unions to form a public sector alliance and take action to defend jobs and services.’

CWU 24-hour strikes are taking place today at Coventry delivery office (500 staff); Leamington Spa delivery office (140 staff); London Airport Mail Unit (120 staff); London Mount Pleasant mail centre (over 2,000 staff in deliveries, collections and sorting) and Nottingham East delivery office (50 staff).

Further 24-hour strikes will take place on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, including Northampton drivers who will again be taking 24 hour strike action from 4am Wednesday.