GSP 03-19 IWU Threat of Action
06/March/2019
Description
A number of Dublin Drivers recently decided to leave the Communications Workers’ Union and join the IWU (Independent Workers Union) formerly the Cork Operatives Butchers. They decided to do so because they were unhappy with the National Executive Council decision to rationalise the branch structure, which was no longer fit for purpose. Bizarrely, their desire to remain the same has now escalated to the point of them placing their heads on a block by threatening to shut down An Post, without any care or consideration for everybody else in An Post or its customers. I attach the relevant correspondence which will inform you of the seriousness of this groups reckless and irresponsible actions.
At this stage a total of 45 of the 145 members of the former Dublin Drivers Branch have written to the Union confirming their decision to cease membership of the CWU and we have respected their wish by following the agreed process and immediately advised An Post payroll. It is worth noting the agreed protocol in relation to deductions from people’s wages is that if you wish to cease a deduction you do so through the original group you contracted with i.e. if it is the credit Union, you tell the credit Union that you wish to leave or for that matter any other deduction.
The National Executive Council of the CWU deals with the organisation and rationalisation of branches as time and circumstances dictate. It is absolutely crystal clear in the Union rules and it is a matter for the NEC to allocate members to branches and the NEC has had to do that on many occasions over the years and well in excess of 90% of our members have been through a process that altered or changed their branch or branch structures. The decision of the NEC to break up the old Dublin Postal Drivers Branch between the Dublin Postal Delivery Branch and the Dublin Postal Amalgamated Branch is a clearly sensible decision given the position the Union finds itself in, in An Post at the moment. In the Dublin Delivery area, there are more members of the Dublin Postal Delivery Branch driving than there are members of the old Dublin Postal Drivers Branch. In almost every other branch in the country there is no distinction drawn between Postpersons who drive or who walk and cycle other than through the payment of the various driving allowances. In reaching its decision the NEC made provisions for officership and committee positions for members of the former Dublin Postal Drivers Branch. If those positions had been taken up or indeed are taken up in the future, they present an opportunity for members of the Dublin Postal Drivers Branch to be involved in the critical discussions taking place presently in relation to the future of the postal business.
Prior to making this decision the NEC held a detailed consultation process with the branches concerned. All of the other branches with the exception of the Dublin Postal Drivers Branch played an active part in that consultation and made detailed submissions to the NEC Sub Committee charged with the responsibility of dealing with Branch Rationalisation. The only case made by the Branch Officers on behalf of the Dublin Postal Drivers was they wanted to be left alone.
At no stage have they advanced a logical argument against the NEC’s decision, because there is no logical argument to make.
While the Officers convened an emergency general meeting to discuss the NEC decision, no member of the NEC or Officer was invited to that meeting to outline the reasoning behind the decision. On the day of the meeting, on arrival there were already IWU membership forms printed along with the subscription rates. In simple terms the so-called EGM was not a meeting to discuss the NEC decision, it was a meeting deliberately set up to discuss the branch seceding from the Union. On that day people were asked to sign membership forms for the IWU and to sign forms seeking to leave the CWU. Since that day a number of those members have been in touch with headquarters to say that they do not wish to leave the Union but that on the day in question and in the circumstances, they felt slightly intimidated to sign the forms. It is also worth pointing out that to date the Branch have refused to return Union funds that are proper to be handed over to the CWU under the rules and constitution of the Union. It is a serious cause of concern this money, will be used illegally. It is also important to state that prior to their decision to leave no complaints were made by the Branch Representatives to CWU, HQ, concerning the service received from the Union. Indeed, it is to the contrary as the Secretary’s report unanimously endorsed at the AGM expressed profound satisfaction. Neither was there any criticism at our Conference last May. The tales now being told in that regard are not supported by any contributions made by Branch delegates to the Union conference.
In the past few months the CWU has worked hard with the Owner Drivers and their representatives, (a separate section of the Drivers Branch) to deal with the cessation of the Owner Driver model. This work is now performed by company employees, with the vast majority of those drivers becoming An Post employees and are members of the CWU. The irony of the intended action where it to proceed would leave these people first in the firing line should there be a loss of business.
It is fair to say that every citizen has the right to join the Union of their choice but it is a nonsense to suggest that a small group of 45 members which is in fact less than a third of the members of the original Dublin Postal Driver Branch would be given the same facility as a Union that represents nearly 9,000 members in An Post and indeed represents in excess of three thousand drivers from that number.
In order to attempt to gain recognition for this group the IWU have issued notice of industrial action which is due to start with an overtime ban this Sunday and in subsequent Sundays and Bank holidays. The IWU have also notified the Company that they will be placing pickets on the Dublin Parcel Hub, the Dublin Mail Centre and the Airmail Unit. Members working in those areas have had no say in relation to this issue and are being used by members of the IWU to try and beat the Company into submission. It is hard to believe but in placing pickets on the Dublin Mail Centre on Sunday they will be blocking approximately 100 of our part time members (mostly female) who work as weekend part time staff for wages and not for overtime. In essence the IWU group of drivers will be placing an intimidatory picket on the Dublin Mail Centre which could well prohibit many of these women from going into work. I find it hard to credit any right-minded person or organisation would attack the lowest paid workers and put their pay under threat while at the same time ensuring that there was no loss of pay for themselves.
In many ways what is even more serious is the threat this action causes to jobs throughout the Company. The CWU has almost singlehandedly dragged the Company from a diminishing letter business into a thriving parcels and packets business, which has only been achieved through the co-operation of our members in taking on new work and changing attendances. We all remember the debacle of the IO Systems dispute where a one-day shutdown of the postal service resulted in the loss of many major contracts. There is little doubt that if this dispute develops and gets the type of publicity these people are seeking, we face the prospect of customers in the highly competitive parcel business leaving in their droves and thus putting at risk many jobs that would have recently come on line as a result of the parcel boom. It seems these former members feel their right to self-determination in a Union or a branch trumps any right of people who are depending on that business to raise and feed their families.
In the event the senseless action is not withdrawn it seems likely that the Company will seek an injunction against the IWU in order to protect its business to prevent Sundays picketing. In any event, given the irresponsible and arrogant actions of such a small percentage of workers in An Post, the NEC has decided all of its members should attend for work as they would normally, rather than give people who would threaten our members in such a fashion any succour. We have further decided that the necessary operational changes required by the company to maintain services should be cooperated with. Hopefully common sense will prevail.