Striking Postal Workers Need Your Support!
Stoke Socialist Party | 14.03.2007 11:16 | Social Struggles | Workers' Movements | Birmingham
· 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.
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 tactics 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.
· Sign the online petition at www.stokesocialistparty.org.uk
· Send messages of support and donations to: CWU Midland No 7, Lindsay
Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 4EP. Fax 01782 272978, telephone
01782 285833, email
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sent to
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· Email or send letters of protest to: Allan Leighton, Chairman of
Royal Mail, at
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Chief Executive of Royal Mail, 148 Old Street, London EC1V 9HQ.
As ever remember to remove the NOSPAMs.
Stoke Socialist Party
Homepage:
http://www.stokesocialistparty.org.uk