London postal worker
Since the beginning of the dispute, the Royal Mail CEOs have persisted in their slash-and-burn policy towards our public service.
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced that in the negotiations currently taking place, with the mediation of ACAS, it will not accept any compulsory redundancies, or new starters on new terms and conditions, or the introduction of owner-drivers, Amazon-style.
However, where does this leave us in relation to Sunday working, later start and finish times, and – possibly more dreaded than anything else – the prospect of annualised hours?
The latter would mean working longer in the busy times of the year, on the basis of us owing hours to the company from the quieter times. That would throw our work/life balance to the dogs, let alone the childcare problems it would cause for parents – a reason many took up the job in the first place.
Recently, Daniel Kretinsky, a Czech oligarch, was given permission by the UK government to hold more than his – until recently capped – 25% stake in Royal Mail. It looks increasingly likely that he will launch a takeover bid.
Sell-off
This would potentially mean selling off the highly profitable GLS Netherlands side of the business – the holding company no longer called Royal Mail but International Distribution Services.
That would leave the so-called loss-making side, Royal Mail, out to dry.
The ‘universal service obligation’ to deliver mail every day would be a thing of the past, meaning NHS letters and other important mail playing second fiddle to tracked items on which managers’ bonuses are currently based.
Many will argue that this was all on the cards since privatisation took place in 2013. But even when they are private, other countries subsidise their postal service. This looks highly unlikely here, especially under a Tory government. We have to fight for renationalisation.
Many CWU members feel baffled at the cancellation of a number of one-day strikes over the past month.
There were rolling strikes planned, where various sides of the business would take a day at a time of strike action, but they had to be cancelled due to a legal challenge from Royal Mail management.
However, a number of one-day strikes were also called off.
Members are worried that this could lead to a loss in the momentum of the strikes, which have from the beginning been solid all over the country.
It is good that the Black Friday and Cyber Monday plans on 24, 25, 30 November and 1 December dates were still kept live during negotiations, and notice has now been given to the employer of strike action on 24 and 25 November. Now is the time for the action to be escalated if we are to preserve the service and not be turned into yet another gig economy firm.
