Potentially the biggest strike of the summer has moved a step closer today as ballots begin landing on the doormats of 115,000 postal workers for strike action against “despicable” treatment by their employer.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is demanding that Royal Mail Group negotiates with them to secure a simple no-strings pay increase for employees. At the time of writing, Royal Mail management plans to impose a 2% pay rise by executive action.
With inflation to May running at 11.7%, this would mean a dramatic real-terms wage cut for Royal Mail employees, who – like rail workers already taking strike action against the same kind of treatment – were key workers during the height of the pandemic. If workers vote to strike, it could mean the biggest industrial action taken in the building and justified ‘summer of discontent’ against the disregard of government and companies for the wellbeing and living standards of workers.
A CWU spokesperson said:
Britain’s postal workers are being forced into accepting a massive pay cut by the same people they have generated incredible profits for.
Our members are going to food banks while bosses reward themselves with advance bonuses. It is an unjust, unsustainable way to treat people.
We have no doubt that workers will defy this despicable treatment, stand up for themselves and vote to begin the biggest strike of this summer.
114 Crown Post Offices across Britain will already close for a one-day strike on 11 July, after workers voted to take action against a similar real-terms pay cut.
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For context, the company made over £700m profit and its fat cat boss took home £753,000. But apparently the workers (and our’s today will look like a drowned rat in fierce rain and driving wind) don’t deserve a rise anywhere near inflation.
And let’s not forget who sold it off for FAR less than it was worth…
Plus, it shouldn’t be allowed to call itself ‘royal mail anymore as a result.
Another exactly the same sector is Charities, exactly the same story.
On a side note a pet hate I have is Companies who become Privatised, should lose the “Royal”, British, etc in their name, ie BT, British Gas, etc, it is a fraudulent way of conning proud, sentimental, ignorant and patriotic Britons into buying their over priced foreign products.
Corbyn warned about all these issues, the people who could hear Corbyn, through all the screeching and empty tin can clanging also warned about these issues. However the Remoan Bandwagon, Brexiteer Bandwagon and other GetCorbyn Fraudster Bandwagons made so much noise, with so much conviction, combined with the MSM Fake Hysteria, resulting in the true purpose of GE2019 was entirely missed.
To END 43y of TORY HELL, with a UK Labour Party Government!
Now we are in an endless battle of a THIS TORY or THAT TORY NON-Choice.
And what do the Remoaners and Brexiteers get? A most Fucked Up Brexit, by a most Fucked Up Government and a Supposed, Fucked Up “Opposition” who would make an Equally Fucked Up and Dangerous Government. With the added Bonus of Absolutely NO Alternative, NO Respite untill the imposters are removed from The UK Labour Party, Parliament, Labour HQ and the Unions. For as long as we have TORY Parasites in the Labour Movement, will there be NO CANGE, NO CHOICE & NO UK Labour Party.
10% inflation minus 2% pay rise = 8% pay cut.
Education needs dumbing down a HELL of a lot further before these psychopathic Royal Mail scum can be confident they’ll get away with daylight robbery masquerading as “charity”.
#fail
As an agency worker and CWU member I shall be encouraging/explaining to other agency workers in my place of work why they shouldn’t cross picket lines and be on the picket line myself.
From what I have seen there will be an overwhelming YES to strike vote.
Ordinary working people across the board are taking home less in their wages than previously due to the increase in National Insurance contributions. Inflation is devaluing their income further, fuel costs are going through the roof resulting in rising prices and food banks are running out of food to distribute to the hungry because people can no longer afford to donate to them.
Keir Starmer has threatened to discipline MPs who join picket lines and the rich greedy David Lammy (for whom an £84,000 basic salary plus expenses isn’t enough – he has to top this up with speaking engagement at a minimum of £1000 an hour) has said he will not support striking workers. Why would he – in reality he’s a Tory in all but name like so many others on Starmers front bench.
I think the current industrial disputes and unrest will be a watershed moment for Labour and the Unions. Unless Labour supports the unions members will either cancel their political fund subs or demand the unions put their subs to better use funding a new socialist party. This would finish off Starmers Labour and not before time.
Theres nothing more than a General Strike on the back of a complete shutdown that will shake the foundations of the parliament to let them know that we hold the keys to power.and we are the working class majority.
General strike and a complete shutdown….thats the only solution to the attacks upon the working class whom they think are invisible.and expendable trash to be kicked down into the gutter…..We know the enemy and its the establishment parliament.
After WWII the government HAD to listen to the demands of the demobbed & highly trained & rightfully pissed off’s demands….They’d have had NO bleedin’ chance against battle-hardened ex soldiers, coming home to piss all, like after the great war.
That’s how the nation got the NHS, social housing and the welfare state.
But then the rich – feeling as though THEY were the ones disenfranchised and robbed – changed the rules, subtly, and gradually. Nowadays they’re not so subtle, and they’re accelerating , rather than gradually changing the level of inequalioty because they KNOW we’re onto them.
Take rees-smog. The rich’s desire for a return to serfdom, personified. And not-so-subtle about it.
But they understand now, that their time is close to being up. They know full well that it’s WE make the rules, and WE earn the dough. It’s time to take back what’s rightfully ours.
Bread and circuses (Beer & Bingo – remember that one?!) will no longer cut it.
The classic 14th century Chinese novel** Romance of the Three Kingdoms opens with the line:
The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been”,
**A recommended read for anyone with the patience. Plenty of lessons about morality & justice in that book. I’d have it as part of the curriculum if I could.
The army put on education classes for the troops. Many of the people who acted as tutors for those classes were socialists or communists. The troops coming home didn’t get their class consciousness from nowhere.