The Socialist 15 March 2007

£billions for rich... Pennies for us!

Minimum wage insult

UNISON Health group votes for summer demo

Hewitt's 'day of exchange'

Fighting the cuts in Camden

Lambeth council attacks services for vulnerable people

Barking BNP don't oppose council cuts

Lewisham council's outrageous attack

Kurdish asylum seekers living in fear

Northern Ireland Assembly elections: Another sectarian headcount...

We Won't Pay Campaign conference success

Solidarity builds party profile ahead of elections

February revolution 1917 - what lessons for today?

US continues threats over Iran's nuclear ambitions

Iraq war: Convicted Bush official is 'fall guy' over WMD scandal

Celebrating International Women's Day

Tenants vote no to council housing sell-off

Market-driven 'social housing' threatens tenants

Will government plans stop climate change?

Build the campaign to defeat fees

International Socialist Resistance (ISR) and Socialist Students conference

Trade Unions and the Labour Party: CWU branch asks some awkward questions

Campaign for a New Workers' Party conference

Reinstate Dave Condliffe now

UNISON leaders lead members into dead end

SOUTHAMPTON council strike

PCS prepares for more struggles

Right wins lecturers' union leadership - on a 14% turnout

Previous issues, etc

Print this issue




Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/478/2187

Google search the site	Printable version	email to friend

Home | The Socialist 15 March 2007 | Join the Socialist Party

Subscribe | Donate | Bookshop

Staffs postal workers say:

Reinstate Dave Condliffe now

Vote 'yes' to widen the strike action

No to management intimidation

Postal workers at the Burslem depot in Stoke have taken one week's strike action to call for the reinstatement of sacked postal worker Dave Condliffe. The strike was solid.

Andy Bentley, Stoke Socialist Party

Postal workers across north and mid-Staffordshire are incensed at Dave's sacking on trumped up charges of aggressive behaviour to a manager. Postal workers regularly suffer intimidation from a bullying management. Dave, 62, has an exemplary record of 13 years as a postman, not having even one day's sick leave in all that time.

Evidence given by two members of the public, stating that Dave was abused by a manager, has been disregarded by Royal Mail. Ordinary people will be angry to hear that Royal Mail is prepared to ignore them in this way.

In reality Dave was sacked because he committed the same 'crime' as 700 other postal workers: the strike action before Christmas which successfully stopped Royal Mail from imposing part-time working for full-time workers in the area. Royal Mail bosses have sacked Dave as an act of revenge to try to re-establish their 'authority' over workers.

But their tactic of bullying and victimising staff is also part of a wider strategy dictated by the New Labour government to soften up the workforce in preparation for further running down of the service and privatisation. This must be fought by all postal workers. Companies are being encouraged to compete with Royal Mail while others queue up to take a share of the billions of pounds to be made out of a fully privatised postal service.

To make it even more profitable for them New Labour are trying to cow the workforce with a bullying regime, thousands of jobs losses and attacks on pay and conditions.

Royal Mail bosses have got away with bullying tactics for long enough. It is time to fight back and postal workers in Burslem have started that fight.

The successful one week strike must be built on. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is now to ballot postal workers throughout north and mid-Staffordshire for further strike action. A widespread and energetic campaign for a 'yes' vote would win the support of the vast majority of postal workers in the area.