CWU official picket armband, photo Paul Mattsson

CWU official picket armband, photo Paul Mattsson   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Carl Harper, CWU member (personal capacity)

The burden of creating profits to pay faceless shareholders of a privatised Royal Mail continues to be laid at the feet of the workers. Under pressure managers regularly resort to bullying and harassment in order to achieve the savings.

Chris Rye, area representative and branch secretary, became the latest in an ever growing number of Communication Workers Union (CWU) activists to be targeted as he was suspended against a backdrop of bullying and harassment of members he represents.

Although Chris is confident that he can win his case against the suspension “on its own merit”, hundreds of workers walked out of Dorcan delivery office and were admirably joined in solidarity by other Royal Mail workers in the Swindon area.

The company had responded to the mounting cases of bullying and harassment and claims that the company had not been paying people properly and had reduced over time for workers – by suspending their CWU representative!

Workers at Dorcan Delivery Office were being made to “feel like prisoners” according to a report in 2009 and many Royal Mail workers feel this way today.

Financial cuts are dressed up as ‘efficiency savings’ as the public service continues its transformation into a full private company.

In 2013, I was also suspended on a ‘jumped up charge’ while defending members as their representative against unachievable performance demands and savings cuts. Members responded with four days of industrial action which saw me reinstated.

Solidarity action across the company, the industry and the wider trade union movement is the only way for workers to escape the ruthless rush for profit resulting from capitalism.

The Socialist Party calls for renationalisation of Royal Mail, run under democratic workers’ control and management, as a first step towards a nationalised postal and courier industry.