האגודה הישראלית לחקר יחסי עבודה

first time ever, we’ve had Counters, Supply Chain and Admin members out on the same day,” he continued, adding that despite senior management’s “dirty tricks,” the National Day of Action had been “overwhelmingly supported by our members.”

In their “desperation to beat the strike,” top company chiefs had threatened to withdraw network transition payments from Supply Chain members and reduce severance monies from strikers, explained the CWU assistant secretary.

But the exposure of their tactics during the TUC earlier this week had forced red-faced bosses to publicly backtrack on the alleged “bribe.”

Despite today’s enormous success, which far exceeded expectations, Andy sounded a note of caution, telling the audience that the union was not seeking to “strike the Post Office into submission.

“Our strategy needs to be political as well as industrial and we’ve got to put as much pressure as possible on the Government.

“We’ve got to get all stakeholders together and find a solution.”

Unite national officer Brian Scott spoke next, saying that having both unions taking action on the same day had been both “unusual and exciting - unions in the Post Office coming together in a common cause.”

The day had been a success, he continued, and said that the minority of Crowns that the company had been able to keep open had been “held together by sticky-back plastic and string.”

Focussing much of his speech on the controversial announcement by the business of the closure of the in-surplus defined benefit staff pension scheme, Mr Scott said that the company’s reasoning behind the plan was to take the pensions “off their balance sheet” and to “transfer the pension to an insurance company.”

Unite was “fully in support of the campaign to get the Government to intervene,” he continued, and concluded: “We’ve started on this together and let’s stick together.”

Our general secretary, deputy general secretary (postal) and senior deputy general secretary each made powerful contributions, making it absolutely clear that our Post Office members enjoy the full, 100 per cent backing of the whole union.

DGS(P) Terry Pullinger praised the strikers, saying that taking action was a “sign of courage” and that there was “nothing more honourable” than representing fellow workers.

“This dispute is about far more than pensions, it’s about everything that’s been wrong in recent years,” he told the audience, citing outsourcing, worsening employment models and deepening job insecurity in particular.

Terry reiterated the calls for a moratorium on the company’s programme of cuts, closures and job losses and for government intervention, saying that the union movement needed to “take the Prime Minister to task.

“Our postal services used to be the envy of the world,” he recalled, and attacked the separation of the Post Office from Royal Mail, insisting: “We’ve got to tighten up that link with Royal Mail.

Praising the strikers, our DGS(P) vowed: “This union will not give up, we’ll take all means necessary to get a right result.

“We can and we will get a result for our members.”

Senior DGS Tony Kearns said that this dispute was “personal” to him, as he recalled starting work as a Post Office counter clerk at the age of 18.

But over the period of time since, the network had been “whittled away,” he said, reminding the rally that, just 15 years ago, the Crown network had still been “in excess of 1,500.

Sometimes, strike action is the only option, Tony explained, adding that the current situation was one such example of this.

“We have no option but to fight – there’s a big showdown coming against the working class and we need to be proud of the part we’re playing in standing up to this.”

Summing up the importance of this dispute, general secretary Dave Ward said: “There’s no way out of it – this fight is for the very future of the Post Office.

“The Post Office could be a success in the future if it commits to expanding its services,” he insisted, and set out how, in both the USA and in France, there is a growing consensus that a Post Bank is a positive step forward for post office networks.

“Here in the UK, there’s no public money being spent on expanding this network, but in France last year, their government invested the equivalent of £1 billion to introduce a Post Bank and in the US, the post office union has got a commitment from Hillary Clinton that she’ll look into setting up a Post Bank.

“Why would a Post Bank work?” Dave asked, rhetorically, and answered by pointing to the many social and economic benefits that this could bring.

“A Post Bank could be a partner of infrastructure banks in this country, could end financial exclusion, could become a national credit union – offering decent loans to all, and could also finish off and end the dodgy payday loan companies,” Dave suggested, adding: “A Post Bank could become the People’s Bank.”

But, by contrast, here in the UK, “we have a government who don’t want to run the Post Office and the people who are running it don’t know how to run anything,” he pointed out.

If we want a positive future for our Post Office, then “we need to fight for it, build it, and we need that spirit,” our general secretary explained.

We have to galvanise for a long fight like we’ve never had and today is the start of that.”

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Six Labour MPs attended the event, Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North), Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner (Ashton under-Lyne), Shadow Health Secretary Diane Abbot (Hackney North & Stoke Newington), Shadow Secretary of State for International Development Kate Osamor (Edmonton), Catharine West (Hornsey & Wood Green), and Neil Coyle (Bermondsey & Old Southwark).

Former Cabinet Minister and ex-MP for Neath Peter Hain also came to the event, and was welcomed by the chair, Jane Loftus.

“I’m here to support you absolutely. It’s clear this is a political fight and we need a political strategy,” said Peter, who worked for this union before he became an MP and has always been supportive of our causes and struggles.

Fresh from her barnstorming speech to the TUC earlier this week, Angela Rayner received another warm reception from this afternoon’s audience when she stood up to speak, describing the postal service as “a very valuable public service.

“You do a sterling job and you’ll always get my support and solidarity because of that,” she said, adding: “I hope the Government and your employer do the right thing and put public service first above profit.”

London MPs Catherine West and Neil Coyle have both been active in community campaigns to try to save under-threat Crown offices in their constituencies and each of them pledged their full and ongoing backing for the CWU’s Day of Action and our aims in this dispute, Catherine saying: “You know you’ve got my support and the support of residents” and Neil expressing similar sentiments, as well as describing the franchising process as “ripping off taxpayers.”

Diane Abbott said that she was in agreement with the union’s campaign plan, saying that a “synergy” between industrial and political aspects to the campaign was a good strategy.

“One reason the junior doctors have made progress is because of public support,” she pointed out, “and the Post Office is something people really value.

“We’ve been in a long period under Thatcher and Blair of ‘private-sector good: public-sector bad’,” Diane continued “and we need to move away from an era in which politicians know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Kate Osamor particularly enthused a football supporter among the audience when she told the meeting that she came from Tottenham, only to disappoint him and spark laughter from others when she added: “But I am a Gooner.”

Kate went on to voice strong backing for the Post Bank idea, agreeing that this measure could bring about a range of social benefits, including an end to financial exclusion. She recalled how, “as a youngster, that was where I learned to bank” and said that Post Offices could become “so much more” than they are at present.

Party leader Jeremy Corbyn arrived fresh from a policy presentation that he and his senior economic team had been giving in the City and he criticised the UK’s record on investment, telling the meeting that it was “the worst among OECD nations.”

Vowing to lead “a Labour government that invests,” Jeremy said that he wanted “a Post Office network that plays an important part in providing the financial services that people wouldn’t otherwise get.

“We want a People’s Post, a People’s NHS and a Post Office fit for all of us,” he urged, thanking the CWU for the campaign it is leading and praising the dedication of our members, who work in “Royal Mail, BT, the Post Office and a host of other companies.” 

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As dawn broke this morning, CWU pickets gathered at Post Office Supply Chain depots around the UK as the union’s Day of Action began.

Reports of “string and solid support” for the one-day walkout came in from Scotland, Wales, London, and England’s north, south, east and west as hard-working staff showed their determination to defend jobs, job security, pensions and the future of this Great British institution.

Speaking from a lively picket in East London, CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey said: “There has been some really positive early-morning news from our Supply Chain members and we’re looking forward to an equally determined response from our Amin and Counters people as well.

“There are around 200 people on strike here, and this is the biggest depot and cash centre in the country,” he continued.

Standing alongside Andy and his members, CWU area rep Rob Jones said that the turnout had been “magnificent” and that management had deployed their so-called ‘rapid deployment teams’ to try to take vehicles out.

In an indication of how important this dispute is, Rob said that the action was taking place because “we want there to be a Post Office this time next year.”

From Glasgow, depot unit rep Alan McGlachlin said: “It’s been solid here so far and it’s all gone well. The feeling up here is that enough is enough and we’ve got to make a stand – we can’t just roll over.

“There’ll be no future if we just accept everything.”

In South Wales, Rob Jones reported staunch backing for the strike at the Swansea depot, saying that the future of members’ pensions was an extremely significant concern among members there.

“It’s pensions, terms and conditions and they seem to be attacking us left, right and centre,” he said, adding: “The board need to wake up – there doesn’t seem to be any strategy.”

Area rep Kevin Clarke reported that members at the Stoke depot had been “absolutely 100 per cent solid” in support of the strike, explaining that this site is closing, but that the workforce had been determined to “show their full support and solidarity” for their fellow workers and for the union’s cause.

Depots in Birmingham and Newcastle also saw lively pickets, and unit reps Kevin Grieh and Keith Gibson warning that the workforce was not prepared to tolerate the worsening situation within the business and highlighting members’ “determined spirit.”

The unit reps also pointed out the need to end franchising and that senior Supply Chain management were mistaken to withdraw from the external market, revealing that customers have told their members that they want the Post Office to continue with this function and arguing that this can be an expanding activity if it is managed better.

Mark Worthington, unit rep from another big city depot in Manchester, which also strongly backed the action, said: “Franchising is privatisation and we need to get that message across,” and added: “We need to stay with the external market, but it must be managed right.”

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In London, as morning turned into afternoon, pickets at Blackfriars Bridge crown office were joined by our general secretary Dave Ward, deputy general secretary (postal) Terry Pullinger, assistant secretary Andy Furey and others in a high-profile protest which left Londoners in no doubt about our union’s determination to defend the network.

Crossing the river, Andy, Dave and Terry led an advance party westwards to bolster another picket line at the Trafalgar Square Crown, while postal executive members Lyn Simpson and Dave Wilshire headed for the City, where they joined other CWU members and Unite strikers at a picket of the company’s national headquarters building at Finsbury Dials.

“It was great to be together with our Unite colleagues,” said Lynn, who added that the protest, while spirited, was good-natured and that senior Post Office staff had brought them out cups of coffee.

CWU and Unite protesters then rejoined forces for a spontaneous rally on Parliament Green, before heading into a meeting room in Portcullis House to hear a range of speakers.

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