THE POSTAL workers dispute reached a critical stage at the beginning of December with the first wave of strike action number of cities. But the Union of Communications Workers (UCW) executive has now reached a settlement which will divide, workers.
Following a successful UCW ballot for industrial rOSL management resumed Iccullaliun they had abandoned in August. In these talks the executive council have allowed for a whole range of issues to be tabled outside the union's claim for a threehour reduction working week for grades.
Breakdown After two weeks of continued talks breakdown occurred Wednesday 2 December.
As a result the executive instructed number of branches to begin 24-homr strikes. being carried through in a not unite, post office That afternoon Glasgow and Southend bran• 1 his prompted an immediate resumpLION of talks by the Post Office.
further round of with the nightshift. executive moved to avert his extension of the strike _oweve OF branches was too ber branches advanced by this time.
Official Consequently the EC pustica SUDDOrL strikes in Edinburgh, Southwark Cardiff. Although the general secretary was calling for a resumption of normal working whilst negotiaLOTS continued, the scenes the EC was extenang vulcla support lo these actions.
The impact of these strikes was substantial. Despite many puone alnouncements by the Post Office plans, these totally failed materialise. major disruption postal network occurred.
A clear demonstration of the power of strike actions had been given. But the EC has used this power a bargaining counter guarantee the victory of the claim.
Productivity The Post Office has attempted to force through concessions on productivity. based on changes to the existing bonus schemes. If yielded these concessions result in posta workers paying in for their own reduction in hours The agreement accepted by the CACCuLIVe council is a classic case of selling the membership short. It divides the grades where the claim united them.
The claim was a threehour grades. The settlement is a one-ana-a-nalt-nour reduction for some grades in the letters and parcels division. Catering workers will receive hour reduction clerical and counte workers Wil receive no reduction at all despite their involvement in the industrial action.
The changes to bonus schemes are close to those the PO sought in the first place though the price be higher. These changes could have been shorter working week claim. Instead the BC now touts them as part of a wonderful settlement. fight, the executive council Rather than lead has accepted a paltry extra half-hour whilst splitting we gracco Minority The possibility of such problem already been by the Broad Left in the union. At a well-attended meeting on agreed seek strike action in pursuit o1 the reduction hours without strings.
At present all-out action has only minority sup port amongst posta. workers. Nevertheless, the Broad Left recognised that was tic uly sure way to unite the membership restrict the possibility of a sell-out.
Selective
During the special conference of the UCW, weekend further Broad Left. meeting was held. Ken Livingstone ad. dressed over 100 delegates, or a shorter working wer and taking up the meaning of the crash on the stock markets.
At this same meeting, discussion was taken the need to challenge the executive council's strategv of selective action the shorter working week. Whilst a position of all-out action might represent only a minority point of view, it has some real influence in the union. The success of the recent actions is an argument in itselt for escalation rather than selection The major threats used by the government have een those of breaking the Ource s gener monopoly The Post Oftice has echoed these threats. Yet they are more apparent than real.
With a network of over 23 million delivery points statt base : O _ove 160,000, the Post Office massive organisation. The existing private firms competing more than scratch the surtace of such an operauon.
Monopoly fering guarantees maintaining the monopoly 'should postal workers not take action. Already press lobby has been built up calling for the monopo. ly to be litted anyway. Ine only defense the monopoly lies in the strength of the postal unions the support they receive from the rest of the labour movement.
Or the picture is the same. The see weekend of 28-29 weekend 28-29 November its intention to privatise National Giro The verdict of this settlement? Just two days after the EC meeting, Kenneth Clarke, the trade and industry minister, dicated that Considering the Post Or still fice monopoly.
A special report is be. ing mailed to branches giving detals of the SCLLEC ment. Branches will then be balloted on whether or not to accept the terms. Resistance Without a fight now or the shorter working week there will be a weakening in the resistance to this or any privatise any three divisions of the Pos Office context ol the crash a well-organised postal workforce is not an attractive proposition for serious investors.
SHe cuttice calls a sell-out and against the valous al tacks is the action of postal workers themselves. What required now vigorous campaign to en sure Inal a 'no vote is registered the forth coming membership ballot. All out for three hours with no strings!
The Mail on Sunday poll also predicts five to one backing for • Scargill in his • own Yorkshire coalfield one-third of all the NUNS Yorkshire, which membership will be one of the tWc battlefields in the presidentia campaign. South Wales, al the centre of the politica : fight against new realism and the six-day week, will be the other.
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