WATCH ACTIVISTS LOBBY THE POST OFFICE POST … OFFICE DISPUTE ... WATCH ACTIVISTS LOBBY THE POST OFFICE PENSION SCHEME TRUSTEES IN THE CITY. ... a reversion to bad old behaviours by

One union, one magazine, one voice

Oct/Nov 2016

P10/11 Members fighting for their pensions, jobs and networkPOST OFFICE DISPUTE

P12/13 SEE SENSE OFCOMMembers urged to 'get involved' as CWU mobilises against any splitting up of BT and Openreach

P16/17 DOOR-TO-DOOR TRIAL Four Royal Mail offices in theReading area are trialling new door to-door delivery methods

P14/15 UNITING OUR MOVEMENTCWU members made a big impact and won strong support at the TUC

and Labour Party conferences

WATCH ACTIVISTS LOBBY THE POST OFFICE PENSION SCHEME TRUSTEES IN THE CITY

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WELCOME General Secretary's column

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Over the past month the labour movement has come together for TUC Congress and the Labour Party Conference. The key message I take away from both of these is

that we need to make what is happening in the world of work the number one political issue in this country.

Insecure employment models are at record levels, wages have stagnated for the majority of UK workers and, across the board, workers are under unprecedented pressure to work harder and faster for less. On pay, the CWU can rightly argue we've bucked this trend. But we all know the pressure is growing on members in our own industries – whether it’s the performance management culture in BT, workload issues in Royal Mail or the latest attack on staff in the Post Offi ce.

A big factor at play across the economy is technology and the onset of the digital age. CWU members are well aware of the impact that automation and the internet have had on the industries they work in. Now we are seeing the rapid growth of companies whose business models are built upon using new technology to keep staff costs at an absolute minimum.

The likes of Uber, Yodel or Deliveroo for example, manage staff through smartphone apps – and, by classing them as ‘self-employed’, they avoid paying the minimum wage, holiday pay or sick pay. Equally, it is a range of new technologies that allow companies like Sports Direct to run their warehouses on models like those of a Victorian workhouse. We are now being told this is just the start of a whole new industrial revolution.

But the trends we have seen have not happened in a vacuum. It is no coincidence that new

technology has had this impact on the world of work when overall union density has declined – and it is no coincidence that those at the top of companies have been immune from any race to the bottom and are taking a greater share of income than ever. The stark reality is that inequality between capital and labour is growing – our movement must develop and co-ordinate strategies to challenge this.

At both TUC Congress and the Labour Party Conference, the CWU’s aim was to get the labour movement into a position to address this head-on. Labour Conference unanimously agreed to the party making manifesto commitments that we put forward on a wide-ranging industrial strategy to fundamentally change the economic model in this country. And the TUC unanimously backed our proposal that it should co-ordinate a major national demonstration next year focusing on the need for a New Deal for Workers.

If the labour movement is serious about securing meaningful change, this means making the connection between our industrial and political agendas. It also requires all unions to think about how their industrial work can be more eff ective in tackling insecurity at work.

For me, redressing the balance here is the defi ning issue of our time – and it is one the CWU cannot shy away from.

how their industrial work can be more eff ective in tackling insecurity at work.

For me, redressing the balance here is the defi ning issue of our time – and it is one the CWU cannot shy away from.

02 THE VOICE October/November 2016

GENERAL SECRETARY

GS Column

Jeremy Corbyn and Dave Ward pictured at the CWU’s Labour Party reception just after the Labour leadership election result was announced See pages 14 & 15

Harry Leslie Smith GUEST COLUMNIST

October/November 2016 THE VOICE 03

It's been almost a hundred years since I was born in a Barnsley slum that formed around a nearby coal mine, like infection grows on a

dirty, open wound. My dad was a miner in that pit where he hewed coal for pennies a day to try to keep his family warm and fed.

At the time of my birth, life was not pleasant for the average citizen in Britain. In 1923 our country was a land of harsh extremes because, while the working class lived little better than domestic farm animals, the elite existed in a tax-free world of stately homes.

However, no matter how diffi cult the daily grind was for my dad he saw hope for the future.

A TRIUMPH OF BELIEFHe saw hope because my father was a proud socialist and a member of the NUM who understood that trade unionism was just not only about changing present labour conditions but also establishing an unbreakable legacy of fair play in the workplace.

My dad, knew that to belong to a union was a right that came with responsibilities.

That's why he took me onto the picket lines during the 1926 General Strike; so I could see, as he told me much later on, “how good men stand together to defend the rights of all who struggle in this rough-and-ready world.”

Even though the miners in that General Strike lost their battle against the pit owners, the unbreakable spirit of the trade unions that participated in that confl ict galvanised a generation to stand strong and united against barbarous labour practices during the Great Depression.

The trade union movement kept hope in the hearts of workers during the 1930s when Britain was at its lowest economic ebb and millions stood on the breadline

instead of toiling on the factory fl oor. Trade unionism assured not only its

members, but wider society as well, that a new egalitarian day was dawning for all – so long as ordinary people stood fi rm in their demand for social justice in the workplace and in their neighbourhoods.

POST-WAR PROGRESSThat great day did come because, during the Second World War, trade unionism – along with the Labour Party – ensured that, when Hitler was defeated and peace returned, we’d secure a Welfare State that benefi ted all of our citizens.

Today, in 2016, Britain is facing economic and political storms that harken back to my youth when jobs were tenuous and right-wing governments sought to break the will of unions and their members at the behest of big business.

I have seen this all before – democracy threatened by demagogues, workers who are not protected by trade unions intimidated by unfettered capitalism and then, like now, the solution was a strong trade union movement.

DON'T LET THEM PUT THE CLOCK BACKToday, our country is on the precipice because of Brexit, neo-liberalism and an economic system that has been so corrupted by the desires of the 1 per cent that it no longer benefi ts adequately the 99 per cent.

This is why trade unions are essential to the wellbeing of today's society, because they will ensure that we don't return to the harsh days of my youth when millions lived hand-to-mouth at the whim of employers.

Today our country is on the precipice because of Brexit, neo-liberalism and a corrupted economic system HARRY LESLIE SMITH

Labour veteran and inspirational NHS campaigner Harry Leslie Smith warns that the social progress he's seen in his lifetime is under threat as never before

Times change – but the need to be in a union doesn’t

@CWUNews October/November 2016

he told me much later on, “how good men stand together to defend the rights of all who struggle in this rough-and-ready world.”

Even though the miners in that General Strike lost their battle against the pit owners, the unbreakable spirit of the trade unions that participated in that confl ict galvanised a generation to stand strong and united against barbarous labour practices during the

The trade union movement kept hope in the hearts of workers during the 1930s when Britain was at its lowest economic ebb and millions stood on the breadline

DON'T LET THEM PUT THE CLOCK BACKToday, our country is on the precipice because of Brexit, neo-liberalism and an economic system that has been so corrupted by the desires of the 1 per cent that it no longer benefi ts adequately the 99 per cent.

This is why trade unions are essential to the wellbeing of today's society, because they will ensure that we don't return to the harsh days of my youth when millions lived hand-to-mouth at the whim of employers.

Harry is the author of five books including Harry's Last Stand and his latest book, Don't Let My Past Be Your Future, will be published in 2017

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WELCOME Postal News

Terry PullingerDEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY(POSTAL)

04 THE VOICE October/November 2016 www.cwu.org

In the midst of our daily work on members’ behalf, it’s easy to lose sight of our wider policy priorities.It’s essential to continue strengthening

our workplace representation and equally important that we shape the future.

At our March Policy Forum, a clear set of policies were agreed that are essential for industrial stability and a genuine mutual interest culture.

It’s evident that our members face relentless cost-cutting, constant pressure to work harder and are expected to pick up the pieces from unprofessional planning and resourcing.

Equally, in respect of business direction, the union at all levels is unconvinced that there is any long-term outlook but rather a catalogue of short-term investments and initiatives to generate immediate returns for shareholders.

To deliver our policies, it’s vital to build the

union in the workplace, so we continue to strengthen our approach to organising and recruitment, deliver better training for reps and communicate our strategy to members.

Local CWU representatives are the key to success and the application of agreements. We thank and salute them and will continue increasing our support for them. We’re proud that over 500 reps have completed our IR training course since its launch in March.

We’re preparing to commence talks with Royal Mail on all our policies, confident that we are and will remain the UK’s most relevant workplace union – while we stay united and keep our eyes on the prize!

DGS COLUMN

Speaking to The Voice, the union's assistant secretary Ray Ellis said: “It certainly appears that we’re getting a reversion to bad old behaviours by Royal Mail managers in some areas.

“Having 11 local disputes in recent months is a relatively high level – and those are all dismissals, we have several other current ballots on other disputes as well – and this is a clear indication of a much more aggressive line being taken by the company.”

Ray, who is the national officer for disciplinary issues affecting all postal members, added: “As well as the surge in local disputes, we’ve also seen a 52 per cent

increase in bullying and harassment cases – the majority of which are alleged bullying of OPGs by managers.

“They’re taking a much harder line with our members,” he continued, saying that in many of the recent instances, a penalty lower than a dismissal would have been expected.

Current conduct code procedures were recently looked at in detail through a formal joint review, which concluded at the end of last year, but the union does

not see the procedures themselves as the root cause of the problem.

Ray said: “We’re going to raise this issue at the next CWU HR

group meeting of our divisional reps and senior field officers

and put together a policy document for the Postal

Executive.“CWU will be

demanding that Royal Mail recommit to improving employee

relations and will seek concrete action that ensures that people are treated fairly and decently

at work."

CWU Policy PrioritiesAt the union’s Policy Forum in March 2016, the union agreed the following key policy recommendations:

◆ to seek a new settlement with Royal Mail that extends and builds on our current agreements and legal protections;

◆ to ensure our job security and resourcing agreements are applied in full;

◆ to develop a positive vision for the future of Royal Mail based on long-term investment and growth, with a new pipeline and work-plan;

◆ to change the current negative workplace culture to one based on adult relationships and trust;

◆ to protect members from the impact of automation and technological workplace monitoring and surveillance;

◆ to secure decent pay and conditions and a 35-hour working week, with no reduction in pay;

◆ to defend our DB pension scheme and improve the DC pension arrangement

◆ to continue our political campaigning to protect the People’s Post.

Sharp rise in conduct cases sparks CWU concernA rise in bullying and harassment complaints and conduct-related ballot requests have the union's sounded alarm bells

Royal Mail managers in some areas.“Having 11 local disputes in recent

months is a relatively high level – and those are all dismissals, we have several other current ballots on other disputes as well – and this is a clear indication of a much more aggressive line being taken by the

Ray, who is the national officer for disciplinary issues affecting all postal

we’ve also seen

a formal joint review, which concluded at the end of last year, but the union does

not see the procedures themselves as the root cause of the problem.

Ray said: “We’re going to raise this issue at the next CWU HR

group meeting of our divisional reps and senior field officers

and put together a policy document for the Postal

Executive.“CWU will be

demanding that Royal Mail recommit to improving employee

relations and will seek concrete action that ensures that people are treated fairly and decently

at work."

This month sees Telecoms & Financial Services (T&FS) branches across the country taking part in

our annual recruitment and organising Action Month.

Previously we’ve centred on call centres but this year, to ensure all branches can take part, the focus is on youth. We have nearly 9,000 young workers across the T&FS industry – 15 per cent of our membership – but where are they?

We don’t see a proportional turnout at Annual Conference, regional meetings or branch committees. Young workers are the future and it’s crucial that we’re connecting with them, otherwise trade unions will be lost on a generation.

So during Action Month we’re asking branches to not just recruit young workers, but also set aside time to engage with them. Using simple steps – such as setting up round-table discussions on industrial issues or surveying them to find out if there are barriers to them getting more involved – we aim to show our younger members that we need them at the heart of our representative structure.

It’s also been a busy time for us in Openreach. This month saw the closure of Ofcom’s consultation on Openreach’s future governance – with the regulator apparently minded to propose it becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT. It’s a worrying time for our members, but we hope our hard work will prevail and Ofcom will see sense. See pages 12 & 13 for the full story.

Andy Kerr

DGS COLUMN

DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY(T&FS)

Negotiations have begun with BT in the CWU’s latest drive to tackle deep-seated membership concerns over the group-wide application of performance management (PM) processes that have soured industrial relations for years.

As formal talks commenced late last month, CWU negotiators reiterated the union’s belief that a fundamental change of approach is needed.

Positive signals that precisely that view is now gaining traction in different parts of the company include the introduction of a transformed PM regime in Service Delivery (SD) that was reported in the last issue of The Voice.

Less encouraging, however, is the

present situation in O&DS (see below).Assistant secretary Dave Jukes, who

is leading the latest round of Group-wide talks told The Voice: “We’ve left the company in no doubt about the strength of the CWU’s resolve to address the negative and often extremely damaging impact that some PM processes have had on not just individuals but, ironically, also on the very productivity that those processes were intended to improve in the first place. We’re determined to progress the terms of Conference Motion 86 in a way that results in tangible change at the sharp end."

Union challenges ‘draconian’ O&DSConcerns are growing over what the union sees as heavy-handed management practices threatening members across the Operator & Directory Service (O&DS).

A ‘three-zeros’ system is in operation that refers to three errors in a six-month period, putting members into a formal meeting situation where they could be given a disciplinary conduct award, and in some instances, final formal warnings. For some experienced people, this is causing them to resign rather than be dismissed.

Assistant secretary Brendan O’Brien said: “I understand that the business wants a professional service, but placing people in a fearful situation is not the way to achieve this. Advisors deal with thousands of calls per week, varying emergency calls for the police, fire, ambulance and coast guard which are in themselves stressful in their nature.

“The three errors or ‘zeros’ are for things like holding a call for too long. They can be three different calls, three different errors, three very different circumstances, but the business sees all these errors as ‘non-compliance’.

“It appears that there has been overzealous application of this system and draconian measures are being taken when in fact, in the main, coaching could address the issues.”

BT performance management talks

October/November 2016 THE VOICE 05@CWUNews

Full story at www.cwu.org/voice/

Telecoms & Financial Services News WELCOME

15%THE PERCENTAGE OF THE CWU'S

T&FS MEMBERSHIP THAT IS AGED 30 OR UNDER

© H

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INDUSTRY NEWS Telecoms & Financial Services

Breakthrough for BTFS Fabric Technicians has wider implicationsADDRESSING ANOMALIES

The CWU has won through in key negotiations with BT Facilities Services (BTFS), resolving a number of pay anomalies for Fabric Technicians, providing a framework for upskilling and progressing to higher salaries and laying the groundwork for similar deals for other grades.

Before this breakthrough, the Fabric Technician role, which covers maintenance of BT property, comprised a wide range of skill levels from fully qualified colleagues (either through formal qualification or length of service) to a lower skilled, handyman type role. There was no differentiation in the

Union recruitment drive gears upORGANISING IN CAPITA

The CWU is on a drive to build its membership strength in Capita and recruit more members to the union following a negotiated TUPE deal and the announcement of new jobs.

Successful TUPE protections have been put in place for Tesco Mobile Capita contract workers in Preston Brook and Bury following CWU negotiations affecting 500

pay band to reflect the range of skills or competencies – a situation that had arisen out of various inherited TUPE arrangements.

The CWU has agreed to proposals to create two new roles based on skill level: General Technician and Engineering Technician (Fabric), to replace the current Fabric

Technician. Those suitably qualified will be automatically allocated to the Engineering Technician (Fabric) role.

Assistant secretary Sally Bridge said: “This is very good news indeed and puts in place a far more fair skills-based structure. We had a situation where people were doing very different work, from the unskilled to the complicated, but were receiving the same pay.

“Although this review addressed the situation of 120 people, its implications

are much wider. The new structure will set the tone and framework for similar adjustments to other grades too.”

news in briefCLARITY SOUGHT ON O₂Amid media speculation that Telefónica is weighing up either floating O₂ as a separately listed entity, or selling a minority stake to a sovereign wealth fund, the CWU is demanding urgent answers as to what is going on and what it means for staff.

As The Voice went to press a meeting with newly appointed CEO Mark Evans had just been scheduled, with the union anxious to secure assurances on job security and an understanding of the Board’s vision for O₂ in the wake of the unravelling of the company’s sale to Three.Assistant secretary Sally Bridge explains: “Clearly this is an unsettling time for the 3,000 CWU-grade employees in O₂.”Check updates at www.cwu.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------AIRWAVE INTEGRATIONDiscussions about bringing policies at Airwave into line with those of the new Motorola business are progressing well, as integration continues.Assistant secretary John East said: “In most cases employees will see improvements to their terms and conditions. In the few cases where Airwave terms are better, we’ll be ensuring that safeguards are put in place.

“We’re also making good progress in updating the recognition agreement, which will see it extended to a number of engineers who were TUPE’d over (from Mono) two years ago. As such the CWU will now represent all technical workers.”Full story at www.cwu.org/voice/




former 0₂ members (see September’s issue of The Voice).

On top of this, Capita are already looking to expand the contract in Bury bringing in more than 80 new jobs – and potentially yet more CWU members.

Assistant secretary Brendan O’Brien said: “The TUPE deal and the new jobs that are likely to follow in Bury are very good news. However, the union needs to remain vigilant to make sure that the TUPE deal is honoured. The more members we have, the more able we are to hold Capita to account on this and other workplace issues.”

The push for new members is also on at an unrecognised site in Dearne Valley, Yorkshire, where the South Yorks branch has

been running a high-profile newspaper advertising campaign promoting the benefits of CWU membership.

500THE NUMBER OF TESCO

MOBILE MEMBERS WHO'VE BEEN TUPE'D

FROM 0₂ TO CAPITA

The South Yorks advert

PaySkills

The shares were, “in part, to sugar the pill of privatisation,” Terry begins, adding that, “to date, eligible employees with the maximum allocation of 832 free shares have received around £430

in dividend payments, before tax.” Under the rules of the share incentive plan (SIP), employees can keep

their shares for as long as they like while they remain a Royal Mail employee, he explains and points out: “Those wishing to hold onto their shares need take no action – they will stay in the SIP and continue to receive any dividends while employed in Royal Mail.”

From 15 October 2016, employees have the option of selling their fi rst allocation of free shares, for the fi rst time, and receiving a cash payment based on the RM share price. However, although selling shares is a matter for the individual, those looking to cash in and sell their shares – after October 15 2016 and any time before October 14 2018 – will be liable to pay income tax and national insurance on the whole cash amount received from the sale.

Basic rate taxpayers will need to pay 20 per cent income tax and 12 per cent national insurance (NI), while higher rate taxpayers will pay 40 per cent income tax and 2 per cent NI (assuming the full amount of NI at 12 per cent has already been paid).

Our DGSP makes the point that, “ultimately, as stated already, what members choose to do with their shares after October 15 is a personal decision, but the union wanted to make members who hold shares in the SIP, and who are planning or considering selling, to be fully aware of the signifi cant tax and NI they will have to pay following the sale which is likely to reduce any payment by around one-third.

And, he continues: “Members should also be aware of the union’s continued attempts to enact the terms of Motion 42 from 2016 Annual Conference, which seeks to coordinate the use of shares held by our members through the establishment of an advisory committee and amendments to the Trust deeds.

“Set out below is a table containing Royal Mail’s own recent advice to employees, which explains how the SIP works in relation to the 2013 free shares,” says Terry. “We would, however, make it clear that the union is not aff ording its members any fi nancial advice in this article.”

◆ Members may want to seek independent financial advice before making any decision. Those with questions can phone the RM Employee Shares helpline free on 0800 012 12 13. More information at: www.myroyalmail.com/employee-share-offers

Caution urged on RM sharesOctober 15th 2016 marked three years since the free shares offer to all eligible Royal Mail employees, and here, CWU deputy general secretary postal (DGSP) Terry Pullinger updates Voice readers on the significance of this anniversary

Postal FEATURE


*Dividends are paid to shareholders who are on the shareholder register on the dividend record date. This date is normally a few weeks in advance of each dividend payment.

HOW THE SHARE INCENTIVE PLAN WORKS FOR 2013 FREE SHARES Keep your shares Sell your shares between Sell your shares after 15/10/2016 and 14/10/2018 14/10/2018 (at least five years (between three and five years after they were given) after they were given)

Will I receive dividends? You will continue to receive You will not receive dividends on dividends any shares you have sold*

Will the value of my shares be Yes Yes, until the time you decide toaffected by future changes in sell your sharesshare price?

Will I have to pay tax and NI on Does not apply Yes Nothe shares when I sell them?

Will I have to pay capital gains Does not apply No Notax when I well my shares fromthe sip?

Can I direct the SIP trustee on Yes Once you sell your 2013 Free Once you sell your 2013 Freehow to vote on my behalf at shares you will not be able to shares you will not be able toAGMs and other share holder vote at shareholder meetings vote at shareholder meetingsmeetings? in relation to those shares in relation to those shares

Keep your shares Sell your shares between Sell your shares after 15/10/2016 and 14/10/2018 14/10/2018 (at least five years (between three and five years after they were given) after they were given)

You will not receive dividends any shares you have sold*



CWU secures safeguards over shift changes at Santander IMPACT MITIGATED

Following a decision by Santander to close its call centres earlier each evening, CWU has negotiated important safeguards for those most financially impacted by the change.

Although many staff are glad to see the back of the unpopular later hours, from 9pm rather than 11pm, a considerable number, especially part-timers, will

suffer a significant drop in income from the loss of unsocial hours

‘Dying to Work’ at SantanderNEW CHARTER SIGNED

Santander has become the first major employer of CWU members to sign the ‘Dying to Work Charter’ – a TUC initiative that aims to ensure that terminally ill workers are treated with dignity and given the support they need to continue in the workplace for as long as they wish.

Amongst those present at Santander’s signing ceremony, which took place at the bank’s London HQ on October 3 (pictured), was CWU NEC member and ALGUS National branch secretary Debbie Cort who instigated the successful approach to Santander that led to the company becoming the first UK bank to put its name on the dotted line.

payments which kick in at 9pm at present.

CWU assistant secretary John East said: “More than 600 people will be affected out of a total workforce of 3,000-plus. The union was determined that the impact on these people should be minimised.

“We have negotiated a one-off, non-consolidated lump sum to compensate for the loss of unsocial hours payments, and a one-month delay to the implementation of the changes, from 1 December to 1 January, to give people more time to adjust.”

The three-month compensation deal will be equivalent to the total unsocial hours payment received for September, October and November, or if higher, the monthly average (multiplied by

three) over this year to the end of November.

“We insisted on this because we wanted to make sure that no-one will lose out if they have worked fewer unsocial hours for any reason over the autumn period,” John explained.

Everyone impacted will also have two one-to-ones with their manager: the first to discuss what the implications will be for them; then, after a period of consideration, a second attended by their union rep to agree a solution.

John concluded: “In the second meeting, they will be able to lay down a new shift pattern that they believe will work best for them, financially and in terms of work/life balance. They will be supported by the union every step of the way.”

news in briefPRODUBAN HOLIDAY PAYA clash over holiday pay at Produban has been averted following urgent talks with management.

An agreement was reached with Santander in October 2015 to the effect that, along with Santander, all subsidiaries – Geoban, Isban and Produban – would implement improved holiday pay arrangements in line with EU regulations.

CWU assistant secretary John East said: “This was carried through at Geoban and Isban, but our members at Produban reported that it had not yet been implemented there.

“The union called an urgent meeting and, following some crossed wires over timings and backdating, and a conversation with Santander, the situation was rectified.”

The holiday payments will be implemented in January 2017 and backdated to July 2016.--------------------------------------------------------------------------SWISS POST CONTRACTSFollowing meetings between CWU and Swiss Post at the end of September, it looks highly likely that more agency staff will be given a permanent contract.

CWU assistant secretary John East said: “We pointed out that the company hasn’t been meeting its obligations in terms of moving closer to a 90 per cent permanent to 10 per cent contract ratio - in fact not even fulfilling an 80/20 balance.

“They agreed that this situation was bad for both the contract staff and for Swiss Post…so we expect more positive news soon.”Full story at www.cwu.org/voice/


John East


(L - R) Barbara Hobday Santander HR director, Linda RolphAdvance general secretary, Debbie Cort CWU T&FSExecutive, Paul Nowak TUC deputy general secretary

Telecoms & Financial Services INDUSTRY NEWS

More staff upheaval as BT railroads site moves

CONSULTATION LACKINGA shock decision by BT to close yet another contact centre, uprooting around 100 people from Wolverhampton to Sandwell, has again

taken place without proper consultation with the CWU.

The move comes hard on the heels of an earlier high-handed decision regarding a similar number of staff, who were bluntly informed that they were being shunted from Blackburn to Accrington, endangering the jobs of 50 longstanding agency staff. (See September issue of The Voice, page 4).

Both Blackburn and Wolverhampton come under the BT Wholesale & Ventures main Line of Business (LOB): Blackburn is O&DS and Wolverhampton is Wholesale.

Assistant secretary

Brendan O’Brien said: “Again, this is BT Consumer seeking to expand its operation while another LOB consolidates onto other sites around the country.

“Those affected here are of a higher grade than those in Sandwell and all will have their NewGRID salary and their pension protected. However, the manner in which this move is being conducted is far from satisfactory and many members in Wolverhampton are both angry and dismayed.

“Considerable upheaval is being caused to members as a result of another internal

BT reorganisation which has been driven through. These sorts of decisions cause stress and disruption to all those involved and the CWU is once again dismayed at the lack of full and meaningful consultation.”

CWU is holding ongoing meetings with the affected members and they are being supported by local branches.

◆ Although the closure of the 0perator site in Blackburn has been confirmed it has been given an extended life to the middle of January, when a number of members will leave with a payment.

VIGILANCE NEEDED IN CHANGING LANDSCAPE

The CWU has campaigned long and hard, with some considerable success, for fair and equal treatment of agency workers – the ‘poor relations’ of the UK’s workforce.

The UK’s decision to leave the EU puts under threat some of the guarantees of the hard won EU Agency Directive, which resulted in the UK’s Agency Worker regulations – on which the equal pay the CWU managed to secure for longer-serving Manpower workers is based.

There are serious concerns that the departure from the EU could result in the repeal or watering down of these regulations, but the CWU is pledging to do everything in its power to fight against this.

Assistant secretary Sally Bridge said: “We’ve got a Tory government for the foreseeable future and the implications of Brexit to deal with: it’s a new and potentially even more hostile landscape.

“The law regarding injustices like payment between assignments (PBA) contracts – that excludes agency workers from equal pay and allows contracts as little as one hour-a-week when not on assignments – is not going to change anytime soon.

“It’s clear that we must continue the union’s ongoing vigorous campaign to secure a fair deal for agency workers, and fight to get these sorts of loopholes in equal treatment legislation closed.

“We have been successful in the past and we can win these battles in the future. In 2014, BT Consumer offered permanent BT contracts to over 270 agency staff who had worked for the company for over two years. Progress can

be made, and we will continue to put maximum pressure on companies like BT and Manpower.”

Sally concludes the fight for employment rights post-Brexit goes far beyond agency workers: “Many of our wider employment protections came out of Europe,” she explains. “We must be vigilant in this changing landscape, listen to our members and do what is most effective to protect them.”

CWU steps up fight for agency workers post Brexit



The 'Closing the Loopholes' campaign is as relevant as ever

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As The Voice went to press, news broke that Post Office Pension Scheme Trustees had narrowly voted to approve company proposals to close members’ defined benefit plan, sparking a furious response from the CWU

In a reported fi ve to four vote, pensions custodians endorsed the axing of the 3,500-member scheme – which is in fi nancial surplus – from April 2017.

Calling on the Government to over-rule and reverse the decision, CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “The Post Offi ce’s decision will cost our members thousands of pounds in their retirement.

“It’s wholly unjustifi ed and we’re seeing a publicly owned company eff ectively stealing money from people who have diligently saved for their retirement. The Government cannot wash its hands of this.”

Dave highlighted the scheme’s fi nancial health, pointing out that it currently “has a surplus of £143 million and, in the Government’s own words, is the best-funded scheme in the country.

“We remain in dispute with the Post Offi ce over these plans, together with thousands of job losses and the privatisation of Crown Offi ces across the country,” he continued, adding that a second round of national strike action was now looking inevitable.

PENSIONS PROTESTJust a few weeks before the controversial announcement, CWU activists had been joined by colleagues from the Unite union as they lobbied Post Offi ce Pension Scheme Trustees entering a crucial meeting in central London.

And the joint CWU/Unite lobbyists spelt out their message in a quite literal way, with each person holding up a large letter, and, collectively, reminding the custodians of their retirement funds that ‘You can save our pensions’.

In a light-hearted way of making a serious point, two of our activists dressed as comedy ‘robbers’ holding pension ‘swag’ bags – representing in metaphor how many scheme members feel the senior Post Offi ce leadership are behaving over this issue.

Outlining the plight that members face, CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey said: “It will

cost our members thousands of pounds in their retirement and is akin to stealing our members’ money.

“The fact is, it is an absolute outrage as the pension is in a healthy surplus and there is absolutely no need or requirement to close the scheme down.”

A one-day national strike had taken place earlier in the month, when CWU members in Crown Offi ces, Supply Chain and Admin grades struck for the day, alongside Unite/CMA members in supervisory and managerial grades.

Speaking from a lively picket at the country’s biggest Supply Chain depot in East London in the early hours of Post Offi ce Day of Action in

mid-September, Andy Furey said: “There has been some really positive news from our Supply Chain members and we’re looking forward to an equally determined response from our Admin and Crown Offi ces members as well.”

CWU area rep Rob Jones, standing alongside Andy, said that the turnout had been “magnifi cent,” with some 200 members here on strike and that management had deployed their so-called ‘rapid deployment teams’ to try to take vehicles out.

ACROSS THE COUNTRYFrom Glasgow, depot unit rep Alan McGlachlin reported: “It’s been solid here and it’s all gone


POSTAL dispute

UNITED FOR A FAIR DEALNATIONAL STRIKE ACTION

Glasgow strikers say: 'Enough is enough'

And in South Wales, Rob Jones reported staunch backing for the strike at the Swansea depot, saying that the future of members’ pensions, terms and conditions were extremely signifi cant concerns. “They seem to be attacking us left, right and centre,” he said.

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.

As the day wore on, reports coming in from the union’s territorial representatives bore out

well. The feeling up here is that enough is enough and we’ve got to make a stand – we can’t just roll over.”

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

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.” He added: “We need to stay with the external market, but it must be managed right.”


UNITED FOR A FAIR DEAL

Andy Furey’s prediction of strong backing from our Crown Offi ce members.

Across his south west and south Wales patch, territorial representative (TR) Chris Roche said that “a clear majority” of Crowns were closed by the strike. But the minority that were kept open, operated with just a “skeleton staff ” he pointed out, explaining that this was due to the eff orts of “mainly managers from other branches and casuals who don’t belong to the union.

“All in all a very successful day,” he concluded. Dave Bowmaker, whose territorial

responsibilities cover Scotland and Northern Ireland, and include most of England’s North East and North West, reported that most Crowns were closed across his beat as well, with management – “a lot of them hadn’t worked in a post offi ce for a number of years” – being drafted in to try to keep a minority of units open “by hook or by crook.”

London and south east TR Peter Meech was “really taken aback” by the enthusiasm from members for the strike, “particularly from some of our newer, younger members” and added that he had received some excellent reports” from around the south east.

“Parts of my territorial area were reporting up to 85 per cent of offi ces closed, with a smaller number being operated by a minimum skeleton staff of just two people drafted in from elsewhere,” he explained.

RALLYING IN LONDONIn London, pickets at Blackfriars Bridge Crown Offi ce were joined by our deputy general secretary (postal) Terry Pullinger, assistant secretary Andy Furey and others in a high-profi le protest which left Londoners in no doubt about our union’s determination to defend the network.

A joint CWU/Unite picket of the company’s national headquarters building in the City was also visited, as was the picket line at Trafalgar Square Crown Post Offi ce, after which, strikers headed into an event room in Portcullis House to hear a range of speakers.

Andy Furey saluted striking Post Offi ce members “for their staunch support across the whole country,” as he opened his speech to the audience.

“For the fi rst time ever, we’ve had Crown Offi ce, 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.”

And 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 union will not give up, we’ll take all means necessary to get a right result,” Terry added.

Determination among Newcastle members

Rock-solid at East London CViT depot

WATCH VIDEO

WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ANDY FUREY, DAVE WARD CWU, ANGELA RAYNER, TERRY PULLINGER DGSP, KATE OSAMOR MP, DIANE ABBOTT, MAXINE PENKETHMAN & JEREMY CORBYN





SPECIAL FOCUS Decision time on BT's future

Members are being urged to visit their MPs, send letters to local press, and share the union’s position widely on social media, as the CWU mobilises its grassroots to campaign against any attempt to split Openreach from BT

CWU deputy general secretary (T&FS) Andy Kerr told The Voice: “We need to work hard at national and local level to ensure this

great British company, and our members who work for it, are not damaged by any regulatory changes.

“At this time, our industry’s statutory regulator, Ofcom, is proposing that Openreach is legally incorporated as a virtually stand-alone and independent company – a wholly owned subsidiary of BT, but with its own board and articles of association,” he explained.

Ofcom’s current proposals are in the interim report which is part of the regulator’s decennial review of Digital Communications (DCR) in the UK.

Opening last year, the DCR took soundings from all the industry’s stakeholders – the CWU, other sectoral unions, BT, other telecoms businesses, and consumer groups –Ofcom then published interim proposals for a new, ‘arms-length’ relationship between BT and Openreach in July.

Stakeholders were given until this month (October) to submit their responses to the July report – the CWU submitted its response last month (September) – and the regulator is now considering the contributions and preparing to produce its final report.

Summarising the union’s position, Andy said: “There are major issues in the Ofcom proposals that, if implemented, may have a substantial impact on the pensions, terms and conditions and job security of all members – particularly those in Openreach, but potentially all BT employees. It will also impact on BT’s future investment plans for roll-out of fibre Broadband for the whole of the UK.”

Setting out the specifics, he told us: “Ofcom want to separate BT and Openreach’s assets which could have implications for the financial position of BT Group, this in turn will lead to a transfer of members from BT to Openreach. It will also affect BT’s ability to support and meet its liabilities in the BT Pension Scheme.

“On pensions, the proposals could cause a weakening to the BT Pension scheme covenant, resulting in BT having to make higher repair payments to a scheme that’s reported to be up to £10bn in deficit. In addition to this it could also mean that our members in Openreach can no longer be active members of the BTPS.

“It will almost certainly affect the Crown Guarantee which dates back to privatisation in 1982 and ensures the pension scheme is protected by the

Government in the unlikely event that the company goes under.”

TUPE OR NOT TUPE?The union has further concerns over employment rights, particularly if a TUPE (transfer of undertakings and protection of employment) scenario occurs with regard to Openreach staff.

It is not entirely clear whether a TUPE situation will happen – the latest soundings from Ofcom indicate that an alternative is being considered – but Andy warns that a full TUPE of all 32,000 BT Openreach employees would be “the largest of all time, extremely complex and hugely expensive.

“It would also create inflexibility in a way that could seriously undermine our members’ job security in Openreach and across BT,” he added.

An example of this is the current facility for BT employees to transfer from different parts of the business during periods of restructuring, which assists in resolving surplus situations and thereby avoiding compulsory redundancies. The inflexibility created by a full TUPE could make future surpluses much more difficult to resolve.

“In a wider context, it’s also our view that the plan risks damaging the UK economy by undermining the development of the national telecoms infrastructure,” Andy continued, reaffirming that only an integrated BT can deliver the broadband infrastructure the UK needs.

“And the complexities and the associated costs of any legally separate company, in both time and resources, would divert money and effort away from Openreach’s ability to modernise the network and make it available for every customer.”

BEWARE VESTED INTERESTSThe Digital Communications review has become highly political with BT’s market competitors urging the regulator to

We need to work hard at national and local level to ensure this great British company, and our members who work for it, are not damaged by any regulatory changes

SEE SENSE, OFCOM!

Andy Kerr


recommend full separation of Openreach from BT.

The review has created some hysteria and created an open door to criticise BT for lack of speed, investment and service. It has also triggered wild claims that BT is paid billions to maintain the network but isn’t delivering. You may have heard about the latest self-serving campaign by TalkTalk, Sky, Vodafone and others, which can be found at: http://www.fixbritainsinternet.co.uk/page/speakout/fix-britains-internet.

Back in June, Andy issued a hard-hitting rebuttal to a “10-point plan” that had been published by the bosses of Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone UK calling for full separation of Openreach from BT.

Andy comprehensively took apart each and every one of their arguments with his detailed reply, saying: “We’ve tried to move away from the constant criticisim of BT, to understanding what’s at stake here for 45,000 employees and the future of the UK’s broadband infrastructure. Although BT customer service certainly needs improvement, the arguments for separating BT have been motivated by

self-interest, rather than the interests of UK plc and the workers who deliver the broadband.

“It’s important to recognise that the current regulatory regime has not failed, as the UK has the highest penetration of high speed broadband of any of the big five European economies.

“BT needs to concentrate on (a) how it reaches the final few in hard-to-reach areas of the UK, (b) how it implements a realistic Universal Service Obligation and (c) how it makes real progress on customer service?”

SPEAK OUT FOR COMMON SENSE!Last month, every BT member received a detailed home mailing from the CWU and reps have also been sent a further communication with a series of suggestions as to what they can do to further the aim of keeping BT and Openreach together.

BT members are being asked to make arrangements to visit their local MP and discuss with her or him the effect that Ofcom’s decision may have on their future and that of every other BT employee in the

Looming storm on separation?

constituency. “Please speak to your MP regardless of which party they are from,” urges Andy, adding: “Remember, their job is to represent you, as a constituent.”

Letters to local press are often very effective, and members are also being asked to do this – particularly in response to any critical articles or reports.

“Letters to local papers are noticed by members of the public and by elected politicians,” said the deputy general secretary “and also, please send out and share the union’s position on social media as well – it’s important we use every means available to get our message out there.

“And, if anyone needs more information, please contact your local CWU representative, or contact us direct here at HQ – there’s something for everyone to do, so please participate if you can.”

SEE SENSE, OFCOM!

You may have heard about the latest self-serving campaign by TalkTalk, Sky, Vodafone and others, which can be found at: www.fixbritainsinternet.co.uk/page/speakout/fix-britains-internet


14 THE VOICE October/November 2016

SPECIAL REPORT TUC & Labour Party Conference

Conference contributions from the CWU included general secretary Dave Ward setting out the need for

a New Deal for workers in the UK and a positive industrial and economic strategy for the nation. Deputy general secretary (T&FS) Andy Kerr moved a motion on behalf of Labour’s NEC – to which he has just been elected vice chair – committing the party to improve party organisation and encourage greater membership engagement.

Senior deputy general secretary Tony Kearns, meanwhile, made an impassioned contribution calling for The Sun newspaper to be banned from Conference on account of that paper’s appalling treatment of Hillsborough victims.

The union’s London political secretary Alan Tate spoke on the crisis in housing, Amarjite Singh, from our South East Wales Amal Branch, contributed to the international debate – making the point that governments who intervene abroad must take responsibility for the consequences – and Glasgow Amal’s Hugh Gaffney talked about how Scottish Labour is shaping up to meet the political challenge north of the border.

As well as the re-election of the party leader Jeremy Corbyn, and his well-received keynote speech, delegates also heard the members of Labour’s front-bench team starting to set out the programme that will be taken forward into the next general election.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell detailed how the UK can chart a new economic course, which prioritises jobs, infrastructure, and a strong manufacturing base, senior Foreign Office spokesperson Emily Thornberry vowed that the Labour Party will “stand in the way” of any attempts by the Government to use our departure from the EU as an excuse to reduce human rights or people’s rights at work.

In an inspiring speech, Ms Thornberry said that a future Labour government would strive to build “a Britain facing outwards and

holding its head up high – a force for good in the world.” This theme of creating a better country was further emphasised by Shadow Treasury Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, who put some more details on the party’s economic plans, which she described as “a patriotic industrial strategy” that will “invest in the people of Britain.”

And Defence Secretary Clive Lewis further demolished Conservative Party claims to be the ‘one-nation’ party, when he attacked the Government’s poor treatment of military veterans and its failure to properly resource the UK’s real defence needs.

Reflecting on a positive week, Dave Ward told The Voice: "The re-election of Jeremy Corbyn , which was announced at the start of Conference, is hugely important for advancing our political agenda and cementing the change he has brought about in the Labour Party.

“It was fantastic seeing Andy Kerr elected vice chair of Labour’s NEC – a huge achievement for which we all congratulate him – and other positives included seeing MPs like Angela Rayner, from trade union and working class backgrounds, playing a bigger role. Labour has got to connect with working people if it is going to win their support at the next election."Dave added that this year’s TUC in Brighton had also been “a big success” for the CWU.

“Both of the motions we took to Congress – on a New Deal for Workers and expressing solidarity with our Post Office members – received strong support. And the CWU made an impression with key contributions from our delegates in the big debates.

“It was also good to hear about campaigns across the movement, from Sports Direct and Uber to the fight to save our steel.

We need to work together and learn from each other to deliver for our members.”

In Dave’s New Deal for Workers speech, he asked delegates to commit to organising a “major national demonstration in 2017 on a new deal for workers and to develop a common bargaining agenda for TUC affiliates to tackle insecure employment models across the UK.”

The protest should aim to be as large as possible, he explained, saying: “It’s great that we come here and share our views, but when we leave here, we’ve got to talk about the action we’re going to take.”

On the subject of developing a common bargaining agenda, Dave said that, while different unions, of course, have, and will continue to have, their own sectoral issues relevant to the specific industries their members work in, a common bargaining agenda can also identify those contractual issues that are common for all workers.

The general secretary highlighted the huge variety of insecure employment contracts that have become increasingly common across the UK in recent years, saying: “It’s not just zero-hour contracts,” and pointing to fixed-term contracts, contracts without sick pay, without

holiday pay, and without pensions as examples.

Congress also unanimously backed Post Office workers’ fight to defend their jobs and pensions and secure the future of the network, after a passionate appeal from deputy general

secretary (postal) Terry Pullinger.With thousands of

CWU members set to take

CWU made a major impact at both the Labour Party Conference and the TUC, winning strong and broad support for our key campaign priorities and playing our part in rebuilding, unifying and strengthening our movement…

UNITING THE MOVEMENT...

Terry PullingerJonathan Bellshaw

Kate Hudson

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unified way forward.And CWU delegate Maria Exall made a

robust contribution when she voiced the union’s support for a motion protecting workers’ rights and trade union rights through the Brexit process.

The motion sought to ensure that none of the current set of rights at work are either repealed or weakened as we leave the EU and that the trade union movement is recognised as a key stakeholder in the Brexit negotiations, while another key clause was for a guaranteed right to remain for EU

nationals legally residing within the UK.

Maria highlighted the various strands of equality legislation that could, potentially, be under threat in the coming period.

“We need to protect equal access to justice at work,” she said, urging Congress to pledge to resist “the threat of turning back the clock” on discrimination law and cited examples from all of the equality strands.

Kate Hudson, CWU Midlands regional secretary, focussed her contribution on the need to ensure occupational pensions are not attacked by employers and that the state pension triple lock is defended against any government attempts to remove it.

Kate told The Voice after her well-received speech that this had been her first address to Congress, and two other CWU delegates also made their TUC ‘debuts’ this year – Becca Hufton and Jonathan Bellshaw, who addressed the hall on young workers’ pay and work capability assessments respectively.

A wide range of other issues were also covered during the four-day event, from right across the UK’s various industrial sectors and also touching upon important social issues, including housing – a memorable debate that CWU senior deputy general secretary Tony Kearns spoke on and which is the subject of a separate, standalone feature on our back page.

Rushanara Ali Bethnal Green & BowWe have to fight to protect

rights. And to protect jobs and protect rights, we need a strong trade union movement.

Judith Kirton-DarlingMEP North East EnglandThe MEPs

are staying until the UK has actually left the EU. In the meantime, Labour MEPs will fight for the best possible deal for Britain – specifically union

rights and workers’ rights.

Neil CoyleBermondsey & Old SouthwarkI hope we’ll really zone in on policy

issues – bread and butter, daily life issues. We need to end the rip-off of privatisation.

Angela RaynerAshton-under-Lyne and Shadow Secretary of

State for EducationWe’re coming together with a clear plan: Putting working

people first and our small businesses where they should be – the engine house of Britain.

Gordon MarsdenBlackpool SouthIt’s been a really

thoughtful conference. People are feeling empowered.

Ian LaveryWansbeckThe Labour Party is oozing with talent and

bright ideas and the sort of vision we need to put together.

Jo StevensCardiff CentralIt’s nice to move on from the leadership

election and set our stall out. The public needs to hear what Labour stands for and the the focus must be on that.

Paula Sherriff DewsburyWe have to unite, that’s absolutely the

order of the day. We need to get together and start opposing the Tories.

UNITING THE MOVEMENT...

their first day of strike action later that same week, Terry said: “Politicians talk, but trade unions act and that’s what we’re doing.

“We will stand up and defend our members and defend the Great British Post Office.”

After the unanimous vote for the motion, TUC president Liz Snape pledged: “Full support and solidarity from the TUC for your day of action on Thursday,” to further applause from the audience.

The post-EU situation was central to several of the motions on the agenda, as delegates debated, discussed and agreed a

Dave Ward

Amarjite Singh

Several MPs came along to the CWU’s evening reception during Labour Conference and The Voice asked them for their thoughts on the challenges ahead

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Can unaddressed mail items – known in the industry as ‘door-to-door’ and normally abbreviated to ‘D2D’ – be delivered more efficiently and more profitably? This is the big question currently being trialled at four delivery offices in the Reading (RG) postal area…

The Voice joined CWU acting outdoor secretary Mark Baulch, executive member Tony Bouch, and local and

area reps and managers visiting two of the units conducting the trial – rural Hungerford and the growing town of Wokingham.

Mark Baulch explained to us that the company’s stated intention was to trial collating the items by machine, whilst also finding the best method to reduce ‘D2D cold-calling’, which is the term used to describe occasions when unaddressed items are the only items delivered to a particular delivery point.

“Both the union and the business share the aspiration to complete the daily duties efficiently, in terms of time and resources, to generate revenue, keep work in-house and develop new services and products, whilst protecting jobs,” he continued. “We also want to reduce ‘D2D cold-calling’ as much as is reasonably possible, which is why we agreed to this trial.”

The current trial restricts D2D delivery to just three of the six service days – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – those days being generally busier postal days than Saturday, Monday and Tuesday respectively.

“Their thinking is that on busier days, there will be, in theory and on average, significantly

Both the union and the business share the aspiration to complete the daily duties efficiently, in terms of time and resources, to generate revenue, keep work in-house and develop new services and products MARK BAULCH

READING AREA TRIALS NEW D2D PLAN


Tony Bouch (right) at Hungerford

12 delivery offices in RG and we’re trialling this new method at four of them – here, Wokingham, Henley and Reading East.

“We’re trialling this new method to find out if it’s an efficient way to bring unit cost of items down and bring in new customers,” he continues and adds that it is “too early” to judge its success or otherwise at this time.

CWU unit rep Tony McConnon explains some of the concerns that the workforce have about the new method being trialled, saying: “A question I’m regularly asked is what will happen to Saturday, Monday and Tuesday in the longer term if all the door-to-door work goes to Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

“We don’t know at this early stage, but would there be a consolidation of the walks?”

Tony Hayes is the union’s area safety rep for the Swindon area, where the D2D items for this office are machine-collated.

“I’m here to look at the safety aspects of the trial,” says Tony, who points to potential concerns over “the ergonomics” of postmen and women having to sort some of their work while already out on delivery and the logistics of handling increased loads.

Darren Butcher, the CWU area delivery rep for RG, is sceptical whether the three-day delivery restriction is the right way to reduce

fewer delivery points without regular mail and, therefore, a reduction in cold-calling overall,” Mark said.

Another method being trialled is postmen and women being asked to keep all D2D items out of their frames and, instead, to keep the collated ‘bundles’ of these items either in their vans or high capacity trolleys (HCTs) and feed them into the addressed mail during their walks.

Hungerford Delivery Office, which serves the RG17 post code, has 24 staff in post and 19 walks. Although a smaller than average unit, it has a larger than average proportion of rural delivery points.

Jason Scott, the acting delivery service manager for the RG area, explains: “There are

CWU reps Darren Butcher and Tony HayesDarren with Wokingham workersClive Moss and James Hembrow

READING AREA TRIALS NEW D2D PLAN


D2D cold calling.“The vast majority of people don’t ‘cold-

call’ under the five-day system,” he says, explaining that “they would prep one-fifth of their week’s D2D work at their frame and just take it out to addresses with regular mail.

“But under the three-day system being trialled, they have to take out one-third of their D2D in their van or HCT on each of these days – it’s a strategy, on the part of the company, to lessen the use of the frame.”

From the feedback that he has received so far, Darren says that delivery workers do prefer receiving their D2D work already collated, but that “they don’t like not being able to put it in their frames.”

Wokingham Delivery Office, with 85 staff in post and 61 walks, is considerably larger than Hungerford and, as a growing town, its deliveries have risen and continue to increase.

“We deliver to the RG40 and RG41 post codes – about 26,000 delivery points,” explains delivery office manager Harry Crawford.

“The trial’s been ongoing for about seven weeks and so far the feedback has been mixed,” he continues, and adds that the three-day method is partly a response to customer demand for delivery later in the week.

“Some of our D2D retail customers have had research that indicates that the later in the week that people receive advertising, the more likely they are to respond to that advertising.”

When The Voice put that point to Darren Butcher, he replied: “Harry makes a fair point, and of course the CWU shares the aim of

meeting customer demand – it’s in everyone’s interest to grow the business to protect jobs.

“But bespoke D2D items could already be delivered on particular days if the customer specified it – therefore, the reduction to a three-day D2D service can actually have the effect of making bespoke, day-specific delivery more difficult.”

Explaining his point, Darren said that, if non-bespoke items can be delivered on Mondays and Tuesdays, then those days later in the week are then freed up for bespoke delivery.

The trials at the four offices are expected to continue until the end of next month – in order to complete them before the start of Christmas pressure – and detailed feedback from the workforce will be carefully considered and discussed in detail by the company and the union.

“The delivery office visits were extremely valuable in terms of speaking to the people on the front line who are actually carrying out this trial in practice,” Mark Baulch told The Voice.

“From the feedback we’ve received so far, and from what we’ve seen and heard, there is a wide range of scepticism as to whether this new method is the right way to achieve the objectives that we all share and we hope that these views – and alternative suggestions – will be taken on board.”

Tony Bouch agreed and, referencing other ongoing trials at Walsall Delivery Office on multiple bundle and optimised mail preparation work, he said: "The way D2D is processed through automation, and then the delivery specification, is fundamental to the success of this way of working."

Darren and Mark Baulch talking with Ian Watts at Wokingham

Royal Mail managers Harry Crawford (above) and Jason Scott

New Wokingham workers Aaron De Rama top left and Nicky Kilonzo bottom middle, with Tony Peet, Mark Reynolds . Top right, Vicky Robertson

Ivor Regan getting busy at Hungerford



Relations with EE back on track for Action Month

news in briefBT CONSUMER SALES AND RETENTION ATTENDANCES AGREEDThe CWU has reached agreement with BT about rolling out the new attendance patterns in the Sales and Retention areas of BT Consumer. This is a key part of the implementation of the Transformation Agreement, which has generated hundreds of new UK based jobs, while at the same time sharing out evening and weekend attendances between all advisors.

Advisors employed by BT will be able to express a preference for a variety of attendances, including a five-day or four-day week, a nine-day fortnight or a three-day week for part-timers, explained CWU assistant secretary Nigel Cotgrove.

BT began briefing advisors in Sales and Retention in September, followed by a preference exercise in October. Full implementation of the new patterns is expected in April 2017.Full story at www.cwu.org/voice/----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NEW VM OUTSOURCING Around 100 people are currently being recruited in South Wales to work under a new outsourcing contract that Virgin Media has agreed with Sitel.

CWU assistant secretary John East said: “Whilst this is good news in terms of jobs, it marks yet another outsourcing of permanent roles by Virgin Media, creating uncertainty for the workforce. Ironically, however, we expect the attitude of Sitel to be more conducive to trade union membership than VM.”Full story at www.cwu.org/voice/


A time for ACTION LATEST RECRUITMENT PUSH

The CWU’s annual month-long October focus on organising and recruitment across the telecoms and financial services sector was swinging into gear as The Voice went to press, with branches across the country pulling out the stops to make young workers the key focus of this year’s hive of activity.

At the time of printing, events that had already taken place had included:� The intensive leafleting of employees arriving for work at the Sky contact centre in Osterley� A special members’ event in Bristol raising money for cancer research� Special recruitment events at BT’s Adastral Park research centre and at BT

Fleet in Solihull� Recruitment and information stalls being set up at BT’s Glasgow, Doncaster, Gosforth and South Shields call centres.

As The Voice went to press a number of branches were finalising arrangements for especially ambitious and colourful membership engagement activities. These include a ‘Superheroes’ day promoting the union at BT’s Sandwell Call Centre; a Guy Fawkes party at Santander in Bootle and a special young members’ social event hosted by South London, Surrey & North Hampshire branch.

A special focus on the outcome of this month’s Action Month activities will appear in the next issue of The Voice. In the meantime, watch out for updates at www.cwu.org

Images from the last big recruitment drive this March

� As part of Action Month, the Telecoms and Financial Services Department has launched its ‘Call Centre Workers’ Facebook page.

The idea of the page is to engage workers across the industry and to highlight the role of the CWU as the union for this sector.

The page will act as both a source of information and a forum for sharing stories and experiences with the aim of helping people to stand up for their rights and to build the union in their own workplaces.

ACCESS RESTORED IN NICK OF TIME...

The CWU is delighted that union leafleting is resuming at EE after a shock blow to good relations in September when CWU ‘access’ days were suspended.

The situation was been resolved just in time for the start of October’s Action Month big

recruitment and organising push.CWU assistant secretary John East told

The Voice: "We were very surprised and disappointed to be told in September that our agreed leafleting of one day a month was to be cancelled for the month. EE is a wholly owned BT subsidiary and we do not expect to encounter this sort of thing."

Postal INDUSTRY NEWS

Wellbeing at work joint initiative

WELLBEING AT WORK

The new Royal Mail Group Stress Risk Assessment process and Royal Mail Stress Toolkit have been developed

by senior people in the business, the union, and also Unite/

CMA to provide early

support

for members if they are overwhelmed and in distress, explains CWU national health, safety and environment officer Dave Joyce.

“Through this new approach, work-related stress is recognised as a potential hazard to health,” he continues, “and all of us are committed to managing work related stress in a proactive manner to reduce the personal impact on members

of the workforce.”The Stress Toolkit is

accessible on a specially constructed page of the Royal Mail Group Health and Wellbeing intranet site, where all the documents will sit and it forms the basis for the Online Stress Tool.

“CWU very much welcomes this positive initiative, which we helped shape through positive involvement and consultation at every stage,”

says Dave, adding: “We strongly encourage members to use this service if they feel under stress.”

� Access wellbeing advice on Feeling First Class at www. feelingfirstclass.co.uk (using the code FFC1 to register) or contact First Class Support on 0800 6888 777� For more information, see Letter to Branches No. 595/2016 at www.cwu.org� For further advice, contact your branch area safety rep


Earlier this month saw the launch of a joint initiative by the CWU and Royal Mail aimed at ensuring that our commitment to a healthy and safe working environment for all employees applies to mental as well as physical wellbeing.

by senior people in the business, the union, and also Unite/

CMA to provide early

support Dave Joyce

Half-marathon man raises £750 for Paul MaloneyFUNDRAISING

Postal executive member Andy Hopping (pictured below) has raised another £750 for the Paul Maloney support fund by running this year’s St Albans half-marathon.

“I felt absolutely shattered after the run, but it was worth it to help Paul,” he told The Voice, as he proudly held up his giant cheque, representing donations from members of his own South Central Branch and officers and staff from CWUHQ.

As we have previously reported, in September 2015, Paul Maloney was severely injured in a criminal assault, leaving him in a coma for over a month and resulting in him becoming wheelchair-dependant for the rest of his life.

But he is determined to resume his work of representing Birmingham CWU members, who

re-elected him as branch chair earlier this year.

To fund the specialised equipment and building alterations that Paul will need, a financial appeal was launched by Birmingham Branch, with a memorable speech from him at CWU Annual Conference and an

indoor triathlon by divisional rep Paul Kennedy among the highlights.

Andy said that he wanted to “make sure that Paul’s appeal is still in people’s minds and I wanted to run the

half-marathon to do my bit for this excellent cause.”

Birmingham Branch secretary Steve Reid congratulated Andy on completing the 13-mile challenge – which he did in just over two hours and within the first 40 finishers – and said: “A massive thanks from our branch and from Paul and his family to Andy and to everyone who’s donated.”

SALUTE TO A VETERAN

Executive member Steve Jones contacted The Voice recently to ask for a special mention of his longstanding friend, colleague and possible record-breaker Roy Wenbourne, who retired from Romec recently after 40 years as a union rep.

“I first met Roy when I came out of my apprenticeship in 1978 and began working in West Central Mail Centre in London’s New Oxford Street,” said Steve. “Back then, Roy was Chair of the Post Office Railway and Mechanisation Branch of the Post Office Engineering Union and it was he who first encouraged me to become a union rep.”

Roy retired earlier this year and, according to Steve, a senior Romec manager joked that the company should invent a special award for him to mark his 52 years of employment with the company.

“We should certainly salute his 40 years of service to this union and its predecessors,” continued Steve, adding: “Roy’s commitment and determination to further the aims and objectives of the labour and trade union movement, and the members he represented, are second to none.

“I personally, and the union as a whole, owe him a huge debt of gratitude.”

Four decades serving our movement

Roy Wenbourne (left), Steve Jones and fellow Romec rep John Humphries

WATCH NIKITA MCQUEEN:

YOUNG WORKERS

WATCH SALLY BRIDGE ON O2 RECRUITMENT


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMr04976E1g&feature=youtu.be


NEWS General

A PLAQUE HAS been unveiled at Croydon Town Hall in memory of former CWU NEC member Gerry Ryan, who died in January 2015, aged 57, after a six-year battle with cancer. Gerry, a telecoms engineer who for many years served as a highly respected Labour councillor on Croydon Council, was an inspirational trade union organiser. He played a huge role in the CWU’s success in achieving the membership numbers and the trade union structure that ultimately persuaded BT to agree to a recognition agreement covering the wholly-owned subsidiary, BT Facilities Services.

Amongst those joining Gerry’s family at Croydon Town Hall to celebrate his immense contribution in both the political and TU arenas were CWU general secretary Dave Ward, deputy general secretary (T&FS) Andy Kerr and Postal Executive member Alan Tate - a close friend and colleague of over 30 years standing.

Alan told the The Voice: “Gerry was a family man and passionate trade unionist who got involved in politics to try and improve life for his fellow residents. I can honestly say it was an honour and a pleasure to have known and worked alongside him.”

Honouring Gerry Ryan

IN JULY 1936 a military rising was launched in Spain by a group of military generals aiming to overthrow the Republican government, elected only five months previously. Between 1936 and 1939 over 35,000 people from over 50 countries, left their homes to fight against fascism. More than 2,300 of these came from Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth, of whom over 500 were killed.

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War and the bravery of the International Brigadistas, last month’s CWUHA annual Longmynd Hike adopted an ‘International’ theme.

John Turnbull of the Mid Wales the Marches & North Staffs Branch said:“ “Out of respect we flew the

International Brigade flag over the campsite plus member’s flags from various countries who have now settled in the UK.

“Brexit has made some feel vulnerable living in the UK so, to show

our solidarity with workers around the world, flags from many nations, including the EU flag, were also raised.”

Retrospective sponsorship donations are still being collected for

CWU Humanitarian Aid by the intrepid reps, CWU members and families who took part in the 20-mile hike.

John concluded: “CWUHA demonstrates a similar spirit to the International Brigades by helping orphans in other countries.

Please share that spirit by donating to https://mydonate.bt.com/charities/

International spirit - for CWUHA

Trumpeting for the Democrats!HILLARY CLINTON’S USA presidential campaign received an unexpected boost from across the pond recently when, while on holiday in New York, CWU Mersey branch political officer Brian Kenny decided to join local protesters campaigning against divisive Republican candidate Donald Trump.

“The local organisers were pleased to hear from me that everyone I know in the UK is horrified at the prospect of Trump becoming President,” Brian reported.

Tributes to Tim HEARTFELT TRIBUTES HAVE been paid to longstanding Capital branch officer Tim O’Reilly whose funeral took place on October 4.

Tim represented members for almost 25 years before his retirement in October 2015. His many achievements included the launch of a highly successful union learning centre in central London.

General secretary Dave Ward told The Voice: “Tim showed great dedication to his members over many years and he will be missed by many friends and colleagues throughout the union.”

our solidarity with workers around the world, flags from many nations, including the EU flag, were also raised.”

sponsorship donations are still being collected for


We spoke with two young CWU reps at the TUC and Labour Party conferences – Becca Hufton and Dan Lewis – and asked for their reflections on the two events and their message to other young CWU members

Becca Hufton Kent Invicta Branch member Becca spoke to Congress for her first time when she seconded a motion on fair pay for young workers at TUC 2016.Citing her own experiences as evidence of the pressing need for unions to organise and recruit among this age group, she told delegates in Brighton: “I’m lucky my job pays more than the Living Wage and that I have a trade union-negotiated job and because my job enabled me to become a CWU industrial workplace rep.”

Becca, who has served as a sub-shift rep at Medway Mail Centre

for two years, compared her situation to that faced by the majority of workers her age today, saying that, for too many of them, secure and fairly paid employment is not a part of their lives.

“Unions like the CWU and others are prioritising recruitment and organisation of young workers,” continued the 23-year-old, saying: “When you meet someone in casual employment, ask them to join a trade union. Organise and mobilise them to join with us and fight for fair pay, terms and conditions.”

Currently, National Minimum Wage legislation applies lower rates to younger workers and this motion called on the TUC to back campaigning to end these age-related exemptions and apply a principle of equal pay rates for equal work, Becca explained to The Voice.

“I was really pleased to have the chance to second this proposition and also it was great to stand on the main stage after this debate with young reps from other unions holding up our Movement of Young Workers banner,” she said, adding that the TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady had also joined them on the front platform and endorsed the initiative.

Dan Lewis Last year, CWU Bootle Branch activist Dan Lewis was awarded the TUC Youth Award in recognition of his work recruiting, organising and representing members and this year, The Voice caught up with him at Labour 2016 in Liverpool.Now the union’s North West regional chair – a position

he was elected to in May – Dan was enthusiastic about the discussions, debates and policy decisions taken.

“This year’s conference seemed to me to be extremely energised in terms of new ideas coming forward – and a new sense of inclusion as well,” enthused the 27-year-old.

And Dan was equally impassioned about the robust “people-first” policy programme that began to take shape at the Liverpool conference, saying: “The stuff we’ve put forward this week has scared the Tories.”

He told us his intention while at the Labour Conference was to “network with young members of our union, of Labour, and of other unions and to exchange ideas and information.

“It’s about connecting with young members and talking to other unions about some of the work they do with younger members,” said Dan, who is one of over a dozen CWU reps at the 2,000-strong Santander financial centre in Bootle – a position he has held for the past four years.

Dan’s message to other young members is: “It’s vital that we keep up all the good work we’re doing in the CWU – such as the annual young members’ education event for example – but also equally vital that we’re always open to trying new ideas.

“It’s about always being current.”

Join in with the discussion on the web: cwurm.org/ or Facebook facebook.com/ThecommunicationsUnion/

News & views YOUNG MEMBERS


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The Voice is delighted to introduce a page for our younger members, for the first time ever. Moving forward, this page will feature articles from youth reps, members and guest writers. The youth are not the future – they are the present…

Becca Huffton (above) at this year's Congress in Brighton

Dan Lewis snatching a very public

selfie with TUC general secretary

Frances O'Grady last year

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https://www.facebook.com/ThecommunicationsUnion/

RETIRED MEMBERS Our history

“Remember 1971” - the seven-week national postal strike

The industrial action, which spanned three months, began when postal workers demanded

a minimum 15 per cent increase on their basic pay and, when a far lower offer was returned, they decided to withdraw their labour in defiance.

The then UPW’s Executive Council announced a national strike which began on January 20, 1971.

The task would prove to be a difficult one against the backdrop of a newly elected Conservative government that had already enforced a periodical wage freeze.

From the outset the union found itself up against both the Government and the employer, both of whom proved to be defiant throughout. A heroic stand it was indeed, in the face of being ‘locked-out’ of employment and in the knowledge that they were not receiving any income whilst undertaking industrial action.

The length of the dispute caught many by surprise. Most in the higher echelons of the union expected the mere mention of an all-out strike to be enough to secure a deal with GPO management. This proved not to be the case, with the Government – realising the impact on commerce and industry - authorising private mail companies to break the Post Office’s monopoly of postal deliveries. Although many private companies adopted mail delivery during this period, they did little to prevent postal services coming to a virtual complete halt across Britain.

Accompanying the postal workers were the telephonists - a strong part of the union which remained incredibly resolute throughout the dispute. Many were female members, who held their own picket lines outside their branches in a show of solidarity. The strikes were well supported throughout, with large numbers of striking workers attending rally meetings every Thursday at London’s Hyde Park.

CWU retired member Brian Lee, who was actively involved

in the union at the time, tells of his first-hand experiences.

“We would march from our East London district office every Thursday, from

Bow all the way to Hyde Park,” he recalls. “Striking workers would join us from other depots

along the route in a big show of solidarity”.

The unprecedented open-ended strike lasted for 47 days, costing the union dearly with funds depleting with each passing day. Many criticised the wider TU movement for not coming to the aid of the strikers financially to carry on the dispute.

With the UPW on the verge of bankruptcy, its then general secretary, Tom Jackson, recognised the

genuine possibility of the union being lost forever. At the eleventh hour a ‘reprieve’ settlement deal was struck that was overwhelmingly supported by members who returned to work on Monday March 8, 1971.

Brian Lee recalls: “Tom Jackson didn’t have a choice. All the money had been spent, we had no money to run the union, we were in danger of losing the headquarters’ premises and the union would have been finished.”

Despite having settled for significantly less than what had originally been demanded, many believe that both the gravity of the action taken, and the outcome of a subsequent enquiry, paved the way for healthy improvements in pay and terms & conditions in the years that followed.

Perhaps the greatest and most enduring legacy of the 1971 national strike, however, was the message that went out loud and clear that the union was willing and able to stand firm for members - and not a force to be trifled with.

Join in with the discussion on the web: cwurm.org/ or Facebook facebook.com/ThecommunicationsUnion/

"We would march from our East London district office every Thursday, from Bow all the way to Hyde Park. Striking workers would join us from other depots along the route in a big show of solidarity" BRIAN LEE

“Remember 1971,” words which would resonate among members and officials alike in the years that followed the first all-out national postal strike. 45 years on, Charlie Pullinger reports on a dispute that still resonates today…


Strikers marchingin solidarity

Gathering together

in Hyde Park

Conferences & Pride EQUALITIES

Pride in the Channel Islands

This year Jersey Pride became ‘Channel Islands Pride’ as a result of neighbouring Guernsey holding its first-ever LGBT parade - a development that was seen by equality campaigners as a significant step forward.

And comedian Francesca Martinez topped the bill at an “innovative and enjoyable” equalities event organised by CWU Jersey Branch to coincide with the week’s events.

Local branch secretary Leigh Devine told The Voice: “Our event was a mixture of politics, music and comedy and everyone who was there said they thoroughly enjoyed themselves – there was some great, positive feedback.

“Francesca was absolutely wonderful and we also heard some classic rock covers from a local group called The Engine, as well as a range of speakers from the CWU, and from other organisations.

“We want to put on a festival along these lines in the future, alongside other trade unions on the island, through our trades council,” Leigh added.

National equalities officer Linda Roy(centre, in green top) with CWU activists in Jersey


Fallout from the EU Referendum campaign and the ultimate Brexit vote dominated the agenda at the CWU Black Workers' Conference in Leicester earlier this month.

No less than six motions were debated on the subject, most of which focused on widening divisions in communities since the referendum.

Senior deputy general secretary Tony Kearns highlighted the role the media played throughout the campaign. "The media were obsessed with the anti-immigration message, dominating front covers of national newspapers, which led to an upsurge in disgraceful and abhorrent racism,” he told delegates.

Delegates condemned such behaviour and debated how to combat xenophobia and racism in the aftermath, beginning with tackling

workplace racism.National equalities officer

Linda Roy denounced the divisive and inflammatory language used throughout the Brexit campaign.

“By framing the debate as 'we want our country back' the Brexiteers have made immigrants the enemy and occupiers who need to be exported," she explained.

Conference also marked the 40th anniversary of the Grunwick dispute by discussing the significant role the union played in showing solidarity with the mainly Asian female workforce. Guest speaker Norman Candy was joined by Colum Maloney - Cricklewood branch chair at the time of the dispute - who insisted: "The strike was a success because we had a just cause and the support of the public". (See pages 24 & 25)

Full Black Workers’ Conference report at www.cwu.org

Brexit dominates Black Workers' Conference

‘Tough times don’t always last – tough people do’ Head of equality Linda Roy welcomed delegates to the CWU’s Disability Conference in Leicester earlier this month by questioning the Government and its "severe cuts" to welfare and disability benefits. Describing the impact on people with disabilities, Linda said: "The most vulnerable in our society are being scapegoated and made to pay."

Referring to a recent United Nations report in which 'serious concerns’ were raised about the disproportionately adverse impact austerity measures are having on disabled people, Linda said: "The United Nations report was so damning in its verdict that the UK's austerity measures are in breach of the UK's international human rights obligations."

Linda went on to warn of "hard times ahead" for those with disabilities or from other disadvantaged groups, but she also reminded delegates that "tough times don't always last – tough people do, especially when they have the support of their trade union."

Conference gave a standing ovation to special guest speaker, Birmingham Branch chair Paul Maloney, with his family in attendance, who also told of his personal struggles with "this penny-pinching government" after the traumatic injuries he received just over a year ago. (See page 19).

Despite submitting “extensive medical records” to Birmingham City Council confirming that he’d suffered a collapsed lung, a broken back and a bleed to the brain, Paul shocked delegates by revealing that officials had “turned down” his blue badge request!

Full Disability Conference report at www.cwu.org


https://www.facebook.com/ThecommunicationsUnion/

FEATURE An iconic dispute remembered

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Forty years ago workers in a backstreet Willesden factory stood up for trade union recognition and better working conditions - kick-starting one of the longest, bitterest and most influential industrial disputes in British industrial history. Now the strike’s remarkable legacy is being explored in a special exhibition. Simon Alford reports…

Led mainly by Asian women, the Grunwick dispute of 1976-78 challenged not just stereotypes but also the ethos of

the predominantly white, male trade union movement of the day and, in the process, inspired a generation to speak out against injustice. Amongst the tens of thousands who flocked to the cause of the Grunwick strikers and their inspirational leader, Jayaben Desai, were postal workers from the then Cricklewood branch of the UPW.

Twice their refusal to deliver or collect

mail cut the jugular of the mail order photo processing operation, but the solidarity action triggered bitter recriminations.

Those came not just from Grunwick itself and the Post Office - which locked out the Cricklewood workers even though they offered to work for nothing, if necessary, to maintain postal services to ensure that an entire community didn’t suffer on account of one fervently anti-union businessman - but also from the national union.

After hesitantly backing the then legal

What you are running here is not a factory, it is a zoo. But in a zoo there are many types of animals. Some are monkeys who dance on your fingertips, others are lions who can bite your head off. We are the lions, Mr Manager JAYABAN DESAI, GRUNWICK STRIKE LEADER

‘LIONS’ OF GRUNWICK…


Cricklewood postal workersmarching in solidarity

COMMEMORATING THE

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secondary action against Grunwick being conducted by the Cricklewood branch (which always had the unequivocal support of the union’s London region), UPW headquarters subsequently backtracked in the face of threats of sequestration orchestrated by the fiercely anti-union National Association of Freedom - even attempting to discipline and fine the leaders of the Cricklewood branch.

Incredible though that seems now, the way that a small local dispute with a strong moral underpinning got caught up in wider political forces, eliciting strange and conflicting responses from the then Labour government and even the TUC, is perhaps easier to understand in the context of the time.

In the heady days of the late 70s the Callaghan government was facing industrial unrest on a grand scale and a looming electoral challenge by Margaret Thatcher’s resurgent Tory party that was already honing plans for its subsequent attacks on the trade union movement. As such, the Grunwick dispute arguably became trapped in a wider schism in British society in which the nuts and bolts of why a brave group of mainly Asian women decided to take an ultimately unsuccessful stand against their unyielding boss were all too easily lost.

It was only in 2012 that the CWU finally laid to rest the ghost of the UPW’s treatment of the Cricklewood postal workers - awarding honorary membership to those who defied the UPW leadership in what is now generally regarded as a heroic and highly moral stand.

“That meant a great deal to us because it recognised we’d been right all along,” recalls former Cricklewood branch chair Colum Maloney who still vividly recalls the brutal treatment dished out to those on the Grunwick picket line by the police.

“The SPG (Special Patrol Group) were

A STRUGGLE REMEMBEREDThe remarkable story of the Grunwick dispute is being told in a special exhibition that has just opened at Willesden Green Library. Poignantly entitled ‘We are the Lions’, the exhibition brings together a wealth of archive material including a mass of photographs, video footage and press cuttings to explore how a small local dispute mushroomed into a showdown of enduring national significance.

Curator Poulomi Desai told The Voice: “Above all this exhibition is about the power of solidarity.”

The exhibition will run until March next year. Entry is free 9am-8pm Monday to Friday and 10am-5pm at weekends. A special seminar exploring the dispute will take place there on November 26.

For more information visit www.grunwick40.wordpress.com

animals - they were more like an army than anything. They would heckle people, grab people by their hair and throw them into vans. They were really vicious, not the local fellas, but the ex-military men who were clearly doing what they’d been told to do, and doing it as roughly as they could to deter people from being there.

“The sad thing is that Mrs Desai and the other Grunwick strikers never got their jobs back, but I don’t think George Ward (Grunwick’s owner) really did win in the end, because what the strike did was to send out the message across the country that, irrespective of your race or colour, if you belong to a union you have support behind you, and that there are millions of us in the trade union movement.”

CWU retired member and Brent Trades Council chair Pete Firmin agrees that the huge positive legacy that has emerged from Grunwick, despite the strikers’ ultimate ‘defeat’, has become clearer over the passage of time. Like Colum he has vivid memories of the heavy-handed and wholly disproportionate policing of the picket lines that he regularly supported as a young teacher working at a nearby comprehensive.

“The police were very aggressive pretty much all of the time - and it’s an incredible statistic there were more people arrested around those picket lines than at any dispute since the General Strike right up until the miners’ strike of 1984,” Pete recalls, stressing his abiding disappointment that the then Labour Home Secretary had apparently done so little to try to rein them in.

“Maybe the further back in history it is the less controversial Grunwick has become,” Pete concludes. “For me the ultimate legacy of Grunwick is the way in which it was a turning point in terms of unions relating to migrant workers and black workers.”

Iconic: The strikers challenged stereotypes


COMMUNICATE Letters

REMEMBER ERICSSON

I write to ask why is there never anything about us mobile telecoms engineers published in The Voice? I’ve been a member of the CWU since 2004 and worked in this industry since 1996 – first at Orange, then TUPE’d to BTMSL and then TUPE’d to Ericsson. In all that time I’ve rarely seen our trials and tribulations reported.

Something of interest might be the Individual Leaving Packages (ILPs) some engineers have taken, only to be replaced by Field Operatives (FOs) by Ericsson. These are school leavers who are expected to be trained and ready to go after a week’s induction and then supposedly three months of ‘on the job' training by us engineers. Ericsson wanted 120 ILP takers but only got about 100, if that. In the meantime they are struggling to get any FOs in the numbers or areas they wanted. I’ve have seen none of this mentioned anywhere within The Voice by the CWU,

26 THE VOICE Ocober/November 2016 www.cwu.org

letterseven though union reps are aware of it.

Ericsson has also limited team managers from traveling to about once a month. We rarely get to see ours due to distance.

Yes, we have stewards, but rarely see any action reported back or are met with “it’s corporate confidentiality” speak. I look forward to hearing what the union is doing for us because we feel like the forgotten few.Name and address supplied

Assistant secretary Allan Eldred responds: As the CWU officer responsible for Ericsson I can, to a degree, understand the points you make. However, the absence of articles in no way reflects the efforts that the CWU puts into defending and advancing, where we can, the interests of CWU members within the company and I can assure you that you are not “the forgotten few”.

The union’s reps, to whom you refer, have reflected the simple reality of dealing with Ericsson in that all consultation and

negotiations always have the label, “in confidence” attached to it by the company. While we’ve often been critical of this, it’s a fact that many of our discussions cover areas that could assist Ericsson’s competitors. Union briefings are always circulated direct to members following agreements, however, and if you’re not getting these, please contact the union to ensure that we have your correct details.

Ericsson and the market in which it operates are undergoing a fundamental change - driven, in part, by new and, in some cases, ruthless companies entering the market. Ericsson’s responses are reflected in your letter, and the responsibility of the union is obviously to defend members’ interests.

While we’re often constrained in what we can report, we’re working on an article for the next issue that will reflect the changes to the environment in which the company now operates and challenges and opportunities that these may provide.

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Did you know that the CWU has a thriving retired members' section that campaigns on the issues that matter to pensioners? Barring workplace representation, retired members enjoy all the benefits of ordinary membership including free expert legal advice if required.

Subs, which (from January 1, 2016) stand at £1.34 per week or £5.80 per month for those contributing to the political fund (£1.14 weekly or £4.93 monthly for those contracted-out), also mean you'll continue to receive The Voice in addition to a designated magazine for retired members – The Link.

For more information please call 0800 731 7434 or email [email protected]

REFERENDUM REFLECTIONS

Giving his thoughts on the outcome of the EU referendum (back page of the last issue of The Voice) Tony Kearns does not think that a referendum is a good way of resolving issues. I have little doubt he would have thought differently had his side won.

He goes on to say "we live in a representative democracy". Hardly so when it takes four million votes to elect one MP from a particular party.

The main issue among the electorate was immigration. All the political parties had no desire to talk about it, not even the Tories. It was forced on them in the end by public opinion and UKIP. ‘Remain' people like to snipe at the ‘leave' people by calling them racists, particularly if they want to reduce immigration. I'm certainly not a racist, but I sincerely believe this country has too many people in it. Just look at our traffic jams and housing shortage. I would not, however, be so heartless as to want to send anyone back to the country they came from if they arrived here legally.

It’s interesting to note that the person that much of the pro-EU trade union movement was so eager to see elected as Labour Party Leader has never made a secret of his own EU reservations.Bob Harris, Great Western Branch

Senior deputy general secretary Tony Kearns responds: Bob Harris raises some interesting points, but, unfortunately for him, none are factually correct. I argued against a referendum because, whether he likes it or not, 650 constituencies electing MPs is, by its very nature a representative democratic structure. Bob may not want to acknowledge that, but it remains a fact. Likewise his claim that it takes four million people to elect one MP - the largest

parliamentary constituency in the UK is the Isle of Wight with 110,000 voters. Nowhere but nowhere do Bob’s maths add up.

Next is his well-worn and well-discredited “Britain’s full” argument. The major reason for the increasing population in the UK is fertility not immigration and will continue to be so for a long time. The UK is “fuller”, if Bob wants to describe it thus, because people are living longer. All evidence backs this up. Bob's biggest mistake though is to somehow confuse a few traffic jams with this perceived overcrowding. Routinely, studies have shown that there are a number of factors that cause traffic jams. On motorways the major reasons are sharp braking, unnecessary lane changes, lorries overtaking and road works. Elsewhere, the real cost of driving has reduced over the years with very little noticeable expansion in road building. So more people drive their cars because the alternative, public transport, is not integrated, offers a reduced and in some rural areas no service at all. Add to this that we’re offered a completely underfunded and unreliable train system in many parts of the UK and it’s no wonder people take to their cars and then find that everyone else has done the same! These are the real reasons we have traffic jams and not some fantasy tale, as first put out by Farage, that it’s because we’re being “flooded” with immigrants.

Likewise the “housing shortage” Bob bemoans is not the fault of immigrants but a 40-year neglect by successive governments to build affordable and council housing. Current estimates are we need to build between 232,000 and 300,000 new homes per annum, but not since the so-called “bad old days” of the 70s have we built housing on this scale.

Bob's letter makes for some good sound bites, but is far removed from reality.

BREXIT SPIN-OFF?

Brexit is a golden opportunity for the renationalisation of Royal Mail and other public services in Great Britain. That’s because when the UK exits the EU it will also exit the requirement to abide by some of the most damaging rules imposed by Postcomm and latterly Ofcom which are 90 per cent driven by Brussels - their purpose to enforce EU legislation on public services to prepare them for the open market.

Brexit potentially opens the door to renationalisation as it returns all law making decisions on economics, trade and regulation of the UK market back to Westminster. As such, Labour and the TUC could - and, in my view, should - work towards passing a Parliamentary Bill that brings Royal Mail back into public hands.

That Bill would not only protect postal services but it could also protect the Post Office and maybe even reinstate GPO status! Parliament would be totally accountable once again for the future of a cherished national institution.Dave Allen, Bristol

General secretary Dave Ward responds: As Dave says, Brexit presents opportunities the labour movement should campaign on. When it comes to competition and privatisation in the postal industry, however, UK governments have gone far beyond any requirements imposed by the EU and further than what other European countries have done. So, in coming out of the EU, what we need if we're going to see Royal Mail renationalised is the same as before: a progressive government here in the UK. This is what we all need to fight for.

More letters can be viewed online in Voice Extra at www.cwu.org/voice/



Under the Act, most new local authority tenancies will be on a fixed-term basis – from two to 10

years – a regulation that will also apply to many ‘succession’ tenancies as well, while the so-called ‘pay-to-stay’ clause will significantly increase household costs for many tenants.

‘Pay-to-stay’, as it has been dubbed by campaigners, will oblige local authority tenants with a household income above £31,000 – £40,000 within London – to pay an extra 15p for each pound over that benchmark.

CWU senior deputy general secretary (SDGS) Tony Kearns highlighted this particular clause of the Act – which is scheduled for introduction next year – during a debate on the issue at the TUC last month.

Supporting a composite motion committing the TUC to campaign against the negative impacts of the Act – and highlighting the CWU’s contribution to the composite, which stressed the need to campaign against ‘pay-to-stay’ in particular – Tony told Congress: “This is an opportunity for the TUC to say we stand with working-class communities and we’ll take this fight all the way until we’re successful.”

The ‘pay-to-stay’ clause was “a tax on working-class communities,” he said, and explained that “councils will have to bear the cost of this, but the revenues will go to central government,” which meant that this amounted to a transfer of wealth

away from working-class people and communities.

Speaking to The Voice in further detail last week, Tony said that he was pleased the TUC had unanimously approved the motion on housing and also that the Labour Party had promised to abolish the Housing and Planning Act if it wins the next election.

The UK’s chronic housing crisis had been “mostly caused by failure to build council houses,” the SDGS explained to us, highlighting estimates by housing experts that between 232,000 to 300,000 new homes every year are needed to adequately address current levels of need.

But the response to the crisis from this Government – and from successive governments – has been “lamentable,” Tony continued, saying: “Local authorities used to build council housing, but this has all but stopped and now, new homes are more likely to be built by housing associations.”

But a significant source of new-build

funding used by housing associations – capital subsidy from government – has also recently been cut by “more than £8 billion,” he explained, describing this as “an act of political will that further exacerbates the crisis we face.

“This is the nonsense of everybody being in this together, working harder and the noble idyll of bettering oneself clearly comes with a heavy cost to pay if you happen to be a council tenant.”

The Voice also spoke to CWU London divisional representative Mark Palfrey, who is also an active member of his local tenants’ association in south London, and he predicts that the impact of the Housing and Planning Act on many CWU members “will be massive.”

Describing the legislation – particularly ‘pay-to-stay’ – as “Poll Tax II,” Mark says that it “went under the radar” when it was introduced into law, at a time when everyone’s attention was focused on the EU debate and referendum.

“We defeated the Poll Tax by long and active protests and we now need to come together and campaign like we did back then,” says Mark, who adds: “This is an attack on the fabric of our communities.”

✱ As The Voice went to press, housing campaigners from across the UK were preparing to hold a national Axe the Act event in central London aimed at creating a unified, nationwide housing justice movement. The Voice will update readers on this issue in forthcoming editions.

We defeated the Poll Tax by long and active protests and we now need to come together and campaign like we did back then. This is an attack on the fabric of our communities MARK PALFREY

The Housing and Planning Act received Royal Assent and came into law back in May. It was presented by the Government as legislation intended to “make provision about housing, estate agents, rent charges, planning and compulsory purchase” but other clauses within it have sparked widespread controversy and criticism...

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