GSG 05-23 Solidarity with CWU UK in Dispute with Royal Mail
24/February/2023
Description
20th February 2023: You may be aware that our fellow postal workers employed by Royal Mail in the UK, and represented by our sister union, CWU UK, are involved in a difficult fight to save their jobs against a confrontational management which is employing intimidating and threatening tactics against their workers and Union representatives.
Royal Mail management have demonstrated their disregard for its customers and the established industrial relations framework at Royal Mail in their attempts to force through unacceptable changes to work practices and agreements. They have also sought to target and intimidate individual workers engaged in entirely legitimate industrial action.
Their disingenuous and dishonest approach has been exposed in Parliamentary hearings, to the extent that the Chief Executive of Royal Mail has been invited to a second Parliamentary hearing to provide additional information and clarify earlier, misleading evidence.
This is a long and protracted dispute against our fellow postal and communications workers in the UK. The CWU UK membership has delivered for a third time a powerful result in the latest ballot for industrial action 95.9% from a 77.3% turnout of 111,000 members. This is a remarkable achievement against the above background which demonstrates members resolve and unwavering support of the Union’s leadership. It would be untenable that management would not get the message and listen.
The National Executive Council of our Union has decided to demonstrate the Union’s solidarity with Royal Mail workers with a significant financial contribution of €100,000 to CWU UK to help alleviate the financial hardships their members are enduring.
CWU Ireland has publicly declared its solidarity with Royal Mail workers, and we have condemned the outrageous direct attacks on individual CWU UK members and their Union leaders. We have also called on Royal Mail’s senior management to immediately desist from its confrontational approach and engage meaningfully with CWU UK to bring an end to this dispute.
We would encourage branches to consider making a donation to the CWU UK Royal Mail Strike Fund from their own resources see bank details overleaf or (PayPal link Here) and/or to express their solidarity with our fellow postal workers and their Union. To follow developments in this dispute, please go to www.cwu.org and @cwuNews.
Branches who wish to donate can send money to the CWU UK General Fund:
Swift Code: (BIC) NWBKGB2L
IBAN Number: GB93NWBK60023571418024
Sort Code: 608301
Account Number: 33019822