FOR A PEOPLE’S POST

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2015 :: RMTnews 18 I am delighted to write for RMT News as my union fully supports your campaign to renationalise the rail industry. Both our unions are now well versed in the perils of privatisation. The impact is clearly further down the line with the rail industry with sky high ticket prices being matched only by massive dividends to shareholders. RMT and others have shown beyond any doubt that the case for publicly-owned train operators makes sense for every single stakeholder – perhaps with the exception of those who are currently creaming off extortionate profits. The railways like the post are not only part of the infrastructure but also the social fabric of our country. With this in mind, the CWU launched a campaign in July – The People’s Post. Since then we have received tremendous media coverage, public support with over 8,000 people turning up to a People’s Post rally in Manchester and we have trended on social media several times. The sale of Royal Mail was a national outrage. The billions of pounds that went into the pockets of speculators and hedgefunders could have built schools, hospitals and railways. As we have seen though with the Trade Union Bill and tax credits, this is a government that acts on ideology and in the interests of the few. Despite this, postal workers and the CWU are defiant in the protection of our jobs and industry. We have a very simple view. The ownership of the company may have changed but the service remains and always will be the People’s Post. The People’s Post has some very specific aims including calling for a future Labour government to renationalise Royal Mail, new legislation to protect the daily delivery, a real living wage across the postal industry and a total overhaul of the regulator. The next steps for our campaign are crucial. We plan to continue our nationwide tour by visiting Birmingham in February. Prior to that, we are planning for National Postal Workers Day on Monday December 14. This day will highlight the key aims of the People’s Post campaign but we also want to promote the role that postal workers play in every community in the UK. The CWU are looking to the future. We want Royal Mail to be at the heart of every city, town and village offering a range of services fit for a modern environment. DECEMBER 14 On December 14 we have organised a wide range of public events and have secured extensive media coverage. You can help us by joining in the debate on social media using #PeoplesPost and sharing a petition which we will launch on the day. The challenges that lay ahead for us all are huge – our own industry disputes, dealing with the Trade Union Bill and the changing political landscape. My view is that we will only face up to these challenges by standing together. This is why the CWU is calling on the TUC to name a day of action and protest across the movement against the Trade Union Bill. We are dealing with a government that bullies and intimidates any opposition. The only way to deal with a bully is to stand up to them – that is what the trade union movement must do. Finally, the CWU had a recent dispute in Plymouth where members took strike action as a result of management introducing casual workers without agreement. Following their return to work, RMT general secretary Mick Cash sent those CWU members a letter of support. I would like to thank Mick and your union for this gesture of solidarity. FOR A PEOPLE’S POST Communication Workers Union general secretary Dave Ward agrees with RMT – privatisation must go