General Secretary Dave Ward opened this year’s conference of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) highlighting the pressures workers are facing across the board. In a sign of the anger growing amongst workers as a result of these attacks, conference committed itself to fighting stance in defence of jobs and conditions, and to supporting Corbyn and his anti-austerity programme.
General Secretary Dave Ward opened this year’s conference of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) highlighting the pressures workers are facing across the board, such as unrealistic efficiency targets, an explosion of insecure employment models, and a government intent on pushing through austerity measures – a government that has no manufacturing strategy and whose flagship policy is to attack the trade unions.
Dave said it is the CWU’s intention to re-assert trade union values in the workplace and to work alongside other unions to make the Trade Union Bill unworkable, and also to work with other unions internationally. Meanwhile, our General Secretary stated, the CWU will be at the forefront in supporting change within the Labour Party through the leadership of Corbyn and McDonnell.
Labour and the Unions
Conference was addressed this year by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who received a rapturous welcome from a packed hall of delegates from across the union’s constituencies. In a sincere – and at times emotive – speech, Jeremy touched on his relationship with the CWU and its members stretching back to the 1971 National Postal Workers Strike; and, as had been mentioned by Dave Ward in his introduction, that Jeremy had always visited postal workers’ picket lines when they went out on strike.
Corbyn went on to explain that the Labour Party has day-to-day links with the trade unions, as it should, being created by the trade unions to represent union members politically. He talked about how the trade unions are a vital part of society, and noted that the Labour Party in the past hadn’t done enough to repeal anti-trade union laws. The Labour leader spoke of how he admired the work the CWU did internationally, and stressed that all trade unions have to work together to achieve international justice.
Jeremy finished by saying a big thankyou to all postal workers for the work they do and – speaking to a standing ovation, and referring to the current dispute in the health service – telling Tory Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to “Back off, as we are supporting the junior doctors.”
Solidarity and support
General conference this year was only one day, instead of the usual two, and as such had a lot of business to get through. As general conference encompasses all the sectors that the CWU represents, there were many varied topics up for discussion.
Scotland no.2 branch talked about the situation facing their member David Mitchell from Cupar Delivery Office, who – after being sacked by Royal Mail and being totally exonerated at an employment tribunal – was refused re-instatement by Royal Mail, despite being told to do so by the tribunal. Conference agreed that the NEC should give their full support to the branch and that a motion should be placed before the TUC calling for employment tribunal decisions to be made binding on employers. The members at Cupar D.O are currently balloting for industrial action in defence of their comrade.
The union’s support for Jeremy Corbyn was much in evidence during the day, with conference wholeheartedly endorsing Birmingham, Black Country and Worcester branch’s call to support Jeremy and his anti-austerity programme. At the same time, conference also recognised that he has powerful opponents both inside the Labour Party and amongst the right wing press, and that he needs all the support he can muster. The full political resources of the union must be deployed to defend Jeremy’s radical and progressive policies.
The CWU, while prioritising organising communication workers in Britain, also has strong international links with communication workers’ unions worldwide. To that end, an emergency motion was submitted to the agenda calling for our union to send a message of support to telecom workers in the USA, who are currently in dispute with Telecoms company Verizon, where they are threatened with a pay freeze and a cut in pension and medical benefits. Conference unanimously agreed to send solidarity to our comrades in America.
The horrendous plight of people fleeing war and terror in Syria was also debated, with conference denouncing the government’s dehumanising rhetoric in their treatment of some of the most desperate and vulnerable people in the world today. The Tories’ unwillingness to provide refuge to the suffering was denounced by all the delegates, with a call for our union to ensure that the government puts in place the necessary measures to help people relocating to this country integrate into their communities.
Fighting for socialism
Among the proposals debated was a motion from Greater Mersey and South West Lancashire Amal calling for the CWU to commit to having as its ultimate aim the bringing about of the Socialist System of Society. Despite the CWU nationally supporting Jeremy Corbyn and fighting for socialist and progressive change within the Labour Party and beyond, when being given the opportunity to commit the union to having as our goal a system run for the workers by the workers there seemed to be some confusion from the NEC about what a socialist system entails, which led them to oppose the proposition. This dithering from the NEC led to a missed opportunity for the union to take a principled stance on its focus and overall aim.
There was also a debate on what stance the CWU should take on the forthcoming EU referendum. The majority of speakers were in favour of staying in the EU, citing the few crumbs that have been thrown to workers over the years, such as the working time directive, maternity pay, etc., and believing it possible to reform the EU from within and make it more compliant to workers’ needs.
Others urged conference to recommend leaving the EU, as it is impossible to reform an organisation specifically created to promote capitalist wealth at the expense of the working class. Leaving the European Union, however, would undoubtedly throw the British working class at the feet of reactionary Tory rule.
The case is clearly evident for workers to support the call for a Socialist United States of Europe as the only way to end the misery of capitalist exploitation in Britain and Europe. Conference missed this opportunity to make a bold move in support of its members and the wider movement, voting in the end to recommend to its members to stay in the EU.
CWU members were in a defiant mood though. With Royal Mail planning on implementing new working methods, and with the Post Office planning more crown office closures, there were several proposals accepted at conference that called for industrial action to be taken in defence of our current working conditions and agreements.
The result of these planned attacks on communication workers is that the CWU is moving away from its past collaborative approach, and instead now appears to be taking a more combative, militant, fighting stance in support of its members.
The task now is to combine the struggle of CWU members with those of other workers from across the labour movement; to call for a general strike, with the aim of kicking out the Tories and ending austerity; and to fight for a Corbyn government with a bold socialist programme.
