16.05.1996

Balloting for action

Postal workers look certain to vote for industrial action to defend themselves against the most coordinated attack yet by Royal Mail on their jobs and conditions.

Up to now there have been piecemeal provocations which have led to various local walk-outs over the past few years. But now RM seems intent on forcing through its ‘employee agenda’ across the board.

Central to this scheme is the notion of ‘team working’. In exchange for a rise in basic pay to just £211 a week, many agreed conditions of work will be ditched in favour of team flexibility. The ‘team’ will be responsible for its own hours, rotas and job allocation, covering for sick absence and annual leave - all under the firm grip of management.

And of course there will be no need for a union - the ‘team’ will look after you. According to RM, the union reps will thus be free to get on with ‘the important issues’, through consultation, not negotiation. Despite this, there were signs that the Communication Workers Union might have been edging towards a deal, but the sheer strength of feeling forced the leadership to ballot the membership, with the result expected at the beginning of June.

“We are blazing for a ‘yes’ vote,” Stewart McIntosh, Edinburgh CWU branch secretary, told me, “and the feedback is very positive.” His Liverpool counterpart, John Ireland, agreed:

“There will be an overwhelming vote in favour of action. These attempts to by-pass the union are not for debate, and there will be no problem in translating the vote into action. We know they are serious - they have been trying it on since 1988 - but we aren’t bothered what they think.”

There has been a concerted attempt by management to win ‘hearts and minds’ through official workplace briefings, but local union officials are convinced that these have only served to strengthen the members’ feelings. Royal Mail itself now seems resigned to a ‘yes’ vote.

But there is a big danger. The Labour Party tops are weighing heavily on the CWU leadership to avoid any action which could embarrass their election prospects.

An activist at Mount Pleasant, London, told me:

“They will be embarrassed - the members have had enough. To say they are pissed off would be an understatement. You couldn’t get a cigarette paper between some CWU leaders and Tony Blair, so we know they will look for a compromise. But, given the mood, they would have to be extremely naive to believe such a thing is possible.”

Peter Manson