North West CWU Members March On Labour Party Conference

Hundreds of NW CWU Members from all contstituancies and from around the country protested today (22nd September) at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester about the effects of Liberalisation on the postal services i.e. Post Office and Mail Centre Closures, reduction in services to business and the public, and the introduction of a cherry pickers charter.

Ahead of the event, CWU allerted the press concerning the facts around the current situation in Royal Mail: Whilst a few large private postal companies are allowed to cream off the most profitable areas in the postal market, medium & small businesses and the public have seen their services cut i.e. later deliveries fewer collections with Royal Mail struggling to provide a universal service.

This cannot be allowed to continue and the politicians need to wake up and realise that Postcomm has failed in its core responsibility and that is to protect the Universal Service.

Assembling in Castlefield for the rally at midday were thousands of CWU members with banners and whitlses, horns, drums and a pipe band. Guest speakers were: Billy Hayes, general secretary, Dave Ward, deputy general secretary, John Grogan MP, Katy Clarke MP, Lord Clarke of Hampstead, Steve Farley, Chair of North West TUC, and Carl Webb, CWU North West Regional Secretary.

Billy Hayes, general secretary, said: “There are huge changes taking place in the mail industry which are damaging jobs and services. Royal Mail’s plans to close large numbers of mail centres and ongoing post office closures will cause thousands of job losses across the country. This will undoubtedly have an effect on the quality of mail services.

“The unfettered markets have created a major economic crisis; stability and public service delivery is now paramount. Competition in the UK postal industry has not brought any benefits to small businesses or domestic mail users. We want the government to guarantee the future of the universal service and stand by their manifesto commitment to keep Royal Mail fully integrated and in the public sector.”

The Manchester Evening News website reported briefly on the event and quoted Billy Hayes: "There are huge changes taking place in the mail industry, which are damaging jobs and services. Royal Mail's plans to close large numbers of mail centres and ongoing post office closures will cause thousands of job losses across the country.

"This will undoubtedly have an effect on the quality of mail services."

 

Dave Ward, deputy general secretary, said: “We’re demonstrating at Labour to make post a key political issue. The government must accept its responsibility for the pensions of Royal Mail workers, which have been slashed this year.

“This government’s decisions have brought Royal Mail to financial crisis. It was a bad decision to bring in competition early and it was a bad decision to appoint Leighton and Crozier. Positive change is needed to save the UK’s mail industry.”

Reporting on the event, CWU website said that Labour MP for Selby, John Grogan drew rapturous applause for his contribution when he said “there are three reasons to be cheerful on this grey Monday morning”.  He outlined these reasons as:

“Alan Leighton (Royal Mail Chair) is going and is going beaten without the shares he coveted; the CWU has secured a significant achievement at Warwick in the words that will go into the Party manifesto for the election. John Hutton (secretary of state BERR) has stated that there is general consensus that change is needed to the regulator”.

Other speakers included Katie Clark, MP for North Ayrshire and Arran, Steve Farley, North West TUC Chair and Lord Clarke of Hampstead who said “the introduction of competition had provided a cash bonanza for private companies”. 

Whilst the rally and march was covered by ITN, BBC TV and radio, the Press Association, Morning Star, Manchester Evening News and local radio and television stations; little reporting was seen in the broadcasting media today.

Sadly the BBC local news website seemed to think that the recovery ofr a 5ft bird that had escaped was more important than the desimation of the countries mail service!

Perhaps several thousand protest emails from postal workers may change their minds!    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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