But union can still be built with a fighting programme
Socialist Party members in CWU
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) held a special restructuring conference in June to approve the cost-saving restructuring plans proposed by the National Executive Committee (NEC), after losing 33,000 members since 2019.
Branches submitted several amendments and there was lots of debate, particularly around the NEC’s plan to move to two-yearly general conferences and make changes to regional structures, including having one officer cover two regions. Some of the votes were quite close – a branch motion to keep assistant regional secretaries had to be decided by a card vote.
Despite this, the NEC’s position of opposing all but one branch policy motion and two branch rule changes was the outcome of the conference. The NEC strongly argued that, in order to remain a stand-alone union, branches must accept their proposed changes, given the serious cuts already made at HQ, losing half (64) of the staff in recent years.
While Socialist Party members agreed with the need to reduce spending, we made it clear that it shouldn’t be at the cost of lay-member democracy. Our members opposed the move to two-yearly conferences. The NEC had failed to get this agreed on its previous two attempts, but succeeded this year.
Since restructuring began, our members have argued that we need a fighting political and industrial strategy to save the union. It was only at an online meeting the Monday before conference that the NEC explained their new organising strategy. The plans for member-led organising campaigns are a step in the right direction, so is a strong push into the unrecognised workplaces in communication industries.
Job cuts
However, the union must also fight to improve pay and conditions in the CWU’s core businesses: Royal Mail, BT, and the Post Office. These businesses have reduced their workforces, despite billions in profits since privatisation. They are threatening to continue this with BT announcing that 55,000 jobs are to be axed by 2030, due to automation.
CWU is also working with Royal Mail on changes to the six-day posting requirements (the Universal Service Obligation), changes which the owners argue are necessary to compete with gig economy firms like Evri. Ultimately, capitalist market competition will work to worsen the service and drive down workers’ pay and conditions.
Whose side are you on?
That’s why we’ve called for a political campaign to renationalise these businesses. The CWU should call on MPs – including Jeremy Corbyn, the independents, suspended Labour MPs and the 49 who rebelled on welfare cuts – to move a motion for renationalisation in parliament. The CWU got Royal Mail nationalisation voted into Labour’s policy at the party conference in 2022, yet the union leadership didn’t demand this when employers justified worsened conditions with the threat of insolvency. Instead, they accepted the private equity takeover!
Our members will continue to push for the CWU to work with other unions in creating a new mass workers’ party that can fight for nationalisation and the interests of union members. At the least, the union should open its political strategy so that it can support candidates that align with the union regardless of if they are in or outside of the Labour Party.
