Build the left in CWU elections


Clive Walder, CWU telecoms sector

Communication Workers Union (CWU) members will shortly be electing a new general secretary as well as national and sector executives.

Existing general secretary Billy Hayes is seeking re-election for the last time before his retirement. He is being opposed by the postal deputy general secretary Dave Ward.

Ward has been making left noises during the campaign but doesn’t have a track record of delivering left policies.

Royal Mail was privatised without a shot being fired in anger under his watch in 2013.

Billy Hayes was a founder member of the old Union of Post Office Workers (UPW) Broad Left. He has had consistently identified with the left and has spoken on both Socialist Party and National Shop Stewards Network platforms. Union members should back Hayes.

Telecoms

Telecoms sector elections will give members a chance to register opposition to the current executive’s signing of an agreement last September which enshrined lower pay and longer hours for new staff.

The Broad Left, which is standing more candidates than before, will oppose any further attacks on pay and conditions.

It calls for an industrial action ballot if the latest agreement on performance management fails to improve conditions and for the conversion of all agency staff to BT contracts.