14.11.1996

Postal workers must control the leaders

Alan Johnson, joint general secretary of the Communications Workers Union, has at last succeeded in his aim of avoiding further postal strikes in the run-up to Christmas.

Industrial action now - the most important time of the year for the post office business - would have left the union well placed to defeat once and for all Royal Mail’s ‘teamworking’ attacks on postal workers’ conditions. But Johnson and a section of the CWU national executive had another consideration - do nothing to embarrass Tony Blair and jeopardise the election of a Labour government.

The fact that Blair had thrown his weight behind Royal Mail and urged postal workers to accept teamworking is of little relevance to Johnson and his co-thinkers. The election of Labour is now seen as an end in itself, unlike previously, when many workers believed that it might at least tone down the bosses’ attacks.

The CWU leadership is recommending a settlement which drops the immediate implementation of teamworking and involves

“the setting aside of all previous proposals so that we can reconstruct an agreement using joint working parties chaired by independent facilitators with the widest possible participation of the workforce in designing a new way of working and testing out ideas on delivery to restore and maintain national service standards, satisfying customer demands and retaining a predominantly full-time workforce” (CWU Voice November/December 1996).

In other words the union is to sit down with management in joint working parties whose prime aim is to improve efficiency - something that can only be done at the expense of working conditions, pay and jobs under capitalism. The thinking of the ‘independent’ chair will be fully in tune with that aim. But this bureaucratic formulation has the advantage for the leadership that the revamped teamworking attacks will not be presented until after the general election.

The executive is also recommending acceptance of a below inflation three percent pay increase in the forthcoming ballot.

Reaction to the proposals has been mixed among activists. On the one hand membership militancy has forced Royal Mail to retreat and won some concessions, but on the other hand the threat of teamworking has not been removed. Ron Rodwell, a CWU committee member at Mount Pleasant sorting office in London, told me: “It is neither a victory nor a defeat - more like a no-score draw.” Although his committee voted to recommend acceptance, it had not been an easy decision: “Not activating the industrial action ballot before Christmas was dangerous. It will be more difficult next time.”

But the lengthy balloting period means that even a vote to reject the settlement would not result in strikes before Christmas - a fact which appears to be influencing some activists.

However, many branches have already decided to throw out the deal. The Scotland no2 branch committee was unanimous in calling on the membership to reject it. The committee meeting was addressed by national executive members John Keggie and Tom McGee, who have been opposed to teamworking all along. Keggie recommended acceptance on the ground that teamworking would be talked off the agenda by union negotiators, but the committee members were clear that the proposed agreement did not rule it out. They were also angry that wages had been tied in to the proposals.

Other branches are yet to take a decision. Many are waiting until after this week’s national briefing meeting attended by all postal branches. Steve Bell, SE Wales branch secretary, told me:

“Most people are disappointed that there will be no action before Christmas. We were in a strong position to crunch the government, but now all that has been dissipated. This is a procedural settlement, not a final one, and the real problem now is to retain control of our negotiators. We expect them now to defend us as strongly as the membership itself has.”

Similar determination by activists forced the union negotiators to step back from acceptance of teamworking lock, stock and barrel last spring. The rank and file, linked to a section of the national executive, succeeded in winning the entire membership to resist such a deal. This can be done again. As Steve Bell says, “We must organise as from now to make sure the leadership is kept in line”.

Peter Manson