Rail and postal strikes
Aug 28 2009 19:28
From time to time these strikes are reported in odd corners of the press or TV: Breakfast TV mentioned a three day postal strike in london; the Metro started gabbling about a national rail strike. In my area, some weks ago now, those using the Wood Street post office were informed about strikes and possible disruption to mail. But when i looked for pickets in the collecting office where you can usually find them, I couldn't find any, although another comrade did talk to pickets more recently in another part of east london (leytonstone I think).
This 'covering' of the strikes is noteworthy in itself. The unions seem to be playing a key role in this whole campaign, by avoiding bringing the strikes to center stage in national politics.
We on the 'extreme left' over here in libcom (and I don't exclude the left communists from this) have also been suckered by this wall of silence to some extent, given the lack of reaction on these boards.
Has anyone got any news or experiences to recount?
Aug 28 2009 20:36
#2
I can only think that it's another effective manifestation of the 'rolling strike' or 'guerrilla action' that the CWU has talked about - draining more militant workers (or giving the impression something's being done) while giving more passive workers a justification for doing nothing because they 'haven't heard anything' or it's not 'national'. Some areas are more recognisably militant than others, and perhaps this dispersed strategy allows 'steam' to be let off while allowing things to die a slow death.
Sounds entirely plausible to me....What do others think?
Is there a strategy of the union to disperse the workers?
Aug 28 2009 21:54
#3
Alf wrote:
Quote:
Is there a strategy of the union to disperse the workers?
I thought I knew how to respond to that... Strategy of the union? Possibly. To what end? Competing models of how to manage a 'public service', I think, but in its most conceptually impoverished forms (public -v- private), like the 'old' Labour Party still existed (ou Alan Johnson?), consistent with 'popular front' tactics on the lines of 'Defend Public Services', regarded as a substitute for actual class struggle, so that any manifestations of such struggle are to be avoided at all costs.
Ultimately, it's the employer - Royal Mail - whatever you call it. which has blazed the trail in dividing up the operation, which has been followed by the union. Within Parcelforce is the category of 'owner drivers' - each depot has to have a quota - who are responsible for their own vans, holidays, pensions, etc. - but who stand or fall on their own, as they're regarded as 'businessmen' by the union, or at least certain local union reps.
As regards the deregulation of services,though - another aspect of divide-and-rule beyond the Royal Mail - I wonder how much scope there is for spreading the struggle to employees of other carriers (considering Parcelforce drivers weren't even expected to support fellow Royal Mail workers), such as DHL, City Link, DPD, UPS, etc. I don't think the CWU is in a position to argue for that (or ever will be).
Aug 30 2009 17:59
#4
There's also the question of the way the unions are using "ballots" against the working class. Fujitsu UK has announced cuts of over a thousand jobs from its 12.5 thousand workforce and cuts in its final salary pension. The union, Unite, responded with a ballot of the workers. 87% of those that voted, voted for a strike and Unite are saying that this was a "consultative ballot". There has been several such "consultative ballots" here and there and they seem designed to drag things out, allowing the boss to come back with a slight cut in redundancies or cuts (probably to the level that they originally wanted) or throw some peanuts about, allowing the unions to present some sort of sham "victory".
Aug 31 2009 10:41
#5
There is some more information here, according to which the CWU was balloting last week on whether to hold a national strike (in October) - has anyone heard anything about the results of this?
Sep 5 2009 10:29
#6
900 postal workers in Plymouth are on a two-day official strike that seems to be enthusiastically supported.
Sep 5 2009 10:57
#7
BTW, there has been some coverage of the postal workers action here:
http://libcom.org/tags/royal-mail
But yes, in general it has been surprisingly low profile.
Sep 7 2009 18:35
#8
London Midland Railways cancelled all but one of its services yesterday because of a lack of drivers who usually volunteer for this work. Last week, LM stopped paying double time for Sunday work.
The BBC news reporter of this story last night said words to the effect that 'this has come as a great surprise when we are all now used to working 7 days a week for no extra money'. Apart from showing the usual "impartiality" of the BBC news, this "withdrawal" of labour is interesting because it shows, that despite the great difficulty of fighting back and the ever-present blackmail of unemployment, the working class in Britain is still extremely combative.
Sep 7 2009 19:44
#9
baboon wrote:
The BBC news reporter of this story last night said words to the effect that 'this has come as a great surprise when we are all now used to working 7 days a week for no extra money'.
I was actually quite surprised to hear there was a train operating company that still relied on voluntary OT for Sunday coverage, I thought that most, if not all, would by now have Sundays and public holidays turned into standard rostered days, not only to guarantee coverage, but to remove one great window for workers to hurt the employer without recourse to the lengthy rigmarole of organising 'official' action, as has happened with LMS here.
Sep 7 2009 20:04
#10
Notch8 wrote:
Quote:
I was actually quite surprised to hear there was a train operating company that still relied on voluntary OT for Sunday coverage, I thought that most, if not all, would by now have Sundays and public holidays turned into standard rostered days
I was surprised too. Certainly, on London Underground when I was there 20-odd years ago everyone worked to a roster which would include working the occasional Sunday. Pleasantly surprised though - very heartening news in these days of semi-compulsory, often unpaid overtime.
Sep 28 2009 15:52
#11
Bump, found this and will certainly be using it in any postal strike related propaganda:
IRS Conference wrote:
Working with Trade UnionsHighlights include:
* How to prevent disputes escalating to strikes and industrial action
* Practical advice on managing trade union recognition and de-recognition
* Hear from leaders of trade unions on the key to better relationships with employers(...)
Learn from Leading Experts and Employers:
* Billy Hayes, General Secretary, CWUWhy you should attend
The current financial crisis has triggered an increase in threatened strike action as rail workers, postal workers, fire-fighters and journalists, among others, have all balloted to strike over pay and/or job cuts in the first half of 2009. We have also seen wildcat strikes over migrant workers in the energy sector. Even when these ballots have not led to strike action they still create huge loses in productivity and legal costs. This conference offers expert legal advice as well as practical examples from real employers about how to make the relationship with trade unions benefit staff relations rather than putting the organisational objectives at risk.
(emphasis in original)
subtle Billy, subtle. dispicable fucking cunt.
Sep 28 2009 17:49
#12
What is it about the CWU in particular that offers us such specimens as Tuffin (who needed stuffin'), Johnson and Hayes?
Sep 29 2009 06:51
#13
Is your job protected legally if you dont want to cross a wildcat picket? Just that im thinking of doing some christmas work for the royal mail and I would never cross any picket whether official or wildcat for obvious reasons.
BTW would it be ok to say cross....lets say a BNP/fascist picket in the future? The way things are going in britain that could be a possibility one day.
Sep 29 2009 11:18
#14
Quote:
Is your job protected legally if you dont want to cross a wildcat picket?
Not by law, possibly by solidarity, if it can be organised. I would think it would be worth talking to other temps about the possibility of a picket line, and agree not to cross. I have seen RM temp jobs in S London bein advertised at £5.80 per hour.
Quote:
would it be ok to say cross....lets say a BNP/fascist picket in the future?
yes, but way off topic. there was a thread about this a while ago. Would be best to find or start a new one.
Sep 29 2009 12:15
#15
ok sori.
Oct 4 2009 22:29
#16
Postal strikes this week:
2nd October 2009
Strike action for week commencing 5th October 2009
Below is a list of postal strikes for the week commencing 5th October 2009. All action is for 24 hours unless stated otherwise. Further detail is available on the Royal Mail dispute page of this website: www.cwu.org/royal-mail-dispute.html
Wednesday 7th October
Peterborough delivery office (DO) from 22:00
Thursday 8th October
Bristol mail centre
Peterborough DO
Friday 9th October
Burslem DO
Kilmarnock
Peterborough DO, until 22:00
London mail centres:
East London
London Airport Mail Unit
Mount Pleasant
South London mail centre
Network (logistics and van) drivers in:
Carlisle
Coventry
Chelmsford
Hatfield, Northern Home Counties
Leeds, North East Regional Distribution Centre
Nottingham
Peterborough
Swindon
Warrington, North West Regional Distribution Centre
London:
East London
Greenford
Nine Elms, Vauxhall
Princess Royal Distribution Centre, North London
Saturday 10th October
Bathgate
Hadfield DO
Irvine DO
London-wide deliveries
Now there is a backlog of around 25 million items of mail. The union is saying that if you want anything to arrive by Christmas it needs to be posted within the next couple of days.
Oct 6 2009 21:54
#17
Analysis of the recent strikes/disputes, in particular Tower Hamlets and the post, from the new WR:
http://en.internationalism.org/2009/wr/328/union-framework
I can only think that it's another effective manifestation of the 'rolling strike' or 'guerrilla action' that the CWU has talked about - draining more militant workers (or giving the impression something's being done) while giving more passive workers a justification for doing nothing because they 'haven't heard anything' or it's not 'national'. Some areas are more recognisably militant than others, and perhaps this dispersed strategy allows 'steam' to be let off while allowing things to die a slow death.
During the national strike a year or so ago a lot of the Winchester and Andover posties continued to work - someone even left a basket of walnuts in their porch in one Hampshire village for the postman, with a note pinned to the door - 'Dear X, Thanks for working through the strike. Help yourself to some walnuts.' I know one or two of them at least have had cause to reflect on what's been imposed since then and what's continuing to be imposed, such as 'summer lapsing' - the lapsing of 'quieter' routes in the summer and the consequent offloading of mail onto other walks, leading to an extension and intensification of the working day for the poor sods having to cover half a lapsed walk in addition to their own. Add to this the whole 'divide-and-rule' hiving-off of different sections of the Royal Mail, respected by the CWU, so that when the different sections were ballotted on the deal that led to the strike - Letters and Parcelforce - Parcelforce workers voted to accept the deal, and so were not 'in dispute' at the time of the national strike. This led to the bizarre situation of a CWU union rep, employed by Parcelforce, instructing Parcelforce workers to cross picket lines while addressing strike meetings of postal workers for whom he was also the union rep - it stinks...