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Postal Workers Defend Public Service
Recent strike action by Royal Mail employees is emblematic of wider struggles against payment cuts and possible privatisation James Thompson In October, a long-standing dispute between employees and management in Royal Mail erupted into large-scale strike action involving more than 120,000 workers. The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents Royal Mail employees, voted three-to-one for strike action, after management broke many of the promises made in the 2007 Pay and Modernisation Agreement. With Royal Mail managers, politicians and the media all decrying the potential disruption to the nation’s Christmas post, the more fundamental issues surrounding the dispute were barely mentioned. For years, Royal Mail bosses have followed a policy of dismantling vital parts of the public service. Management also wants to limit the influence of workers in the company’s decisionmaking process, despite having unambiguously agreed to these demands in 2007. Having exhausted all other means of communicating their grievance to their employers, and facing unbearable work increases and pay cuts, Royal Mail employees had no other choice but to walk out from their jobs in coordinated strike action. Despite the fact that Royal Mail is profitable (making £320 million profit in 2008/2009), management describes its policy of cuts and service reductions as “modernisation”.
In 2007, for instance, Royal Mail boss Adam Crozier was paid £1,256,000 for cutting 45,000 jobs and closing around 4,600 post offices in that year alone. Whilst Crozier received a pay increase amounting to 26% that year, ordinary postal workers were bullied into accepting lower pay, pension cuts, increased workloads and longer working hours. Management’s policy of “modernisation” is, like so many expressions in modern politics, a euphemism. The policy of “modernisation” espoused by Royal Mail bosses and repeated in the press actually refers to shifting the balance of power within the organisation away from postal workers and taxpayers, towards management and
private interests. Royal Mail’s policy is ultimately intended to be a precursor to full-scale privatisation. In fact, it would be accurate to describe Royal Mail as semi-privatised already, since many delivery businesses use the public service infrastructure to get packages to their final destination – making profit for shareholders at the expense of the taxpayer. Postal workers are fully aware of the importance of a public postal service. If Royal Mail is completely privatised, then the cost of delivery is likely to increase – especially to areas where there is low demand – meaning that Britain’s proud tradition of having an affordable and universal mail network will be lost. Royal Mail bosses argue that “modernisation” and “restructuring” of the service is necessary to keep the company competitive. Postal workers are not opposed to modernising the service, however, but insist that the current management are less interested in modernising, than they are in giving themselves lavish salaries and selling the service off to private businesses. The managerial culture at Royal Mail meant that workers were deprived of any say in how the public service should be run. But who could have a better idea of how a postal service should be run, other than the postal workers themselves? The outcome of this period of strike action by the CWU has been an interim agreement between workers and Royal Mail management. Although the dispute is far from resolved, a number of concessions were made by the employer, whose profits and reputation were threatened by further strike action in the run-up to Christmas. Although Royal Mail bosses had attempted to marginalise the role of workers in decisionmaking, the strike has halted this attack. Facility time for union representatives, recently cut by management, has once again been reinstated in some areas. Another small victory for workers concerns overtime. Employees will once again be entitled to work overtime, when management had previously wanted to employ cheaper, lower-skilled temporary workers instead. Nonetheless, uncertain times lie ahead for both the Royal Mail workers and the public postal service. The interim agreement is a temporary solution to a fundamental problem: namely, a specific culture of management at Royal Mail, whose ultimate aim is to dismantle the postal
News
Students branded ‘out of control’ Jazmin Sherman
The Daily Echo, Southampton’s local newspaper, has recently published various articles on the ‘disorderly behavior’ of students from both Southampton and Solent Universities. The paper has described student conduct as ‘violent’, ‘disrespectful’ and ‘disruptive’. Southampton locals and officials have branded this year’s student population as the ‘worst the city as ever seen’. Council members and police officials are concerned over a rise in ‘alcohol fueled’ violence which has caused a community uproar. The Daily Echo reported that incidents have ‘increased by 66 percent in three months.’
infrastructure for political purposes and financial bonuses. It is likely that Royal Mail bosses will resume their policy of “slash and burn” (cutting jobs and services) after the Christmas period. Despite the traditionally close ties between the Labour party and the Communication Workers’ Union, the current government is committed to a policy of privatisation of public services. With the Labour government unwilling to stand up for postal workers’ rights and conditions, it is unsurprising that CWU members voted overwhelmingly to stop providing funds to the Labour party. But with the Conservatives widely predicted to win the general election next year, the full privatisation of Royal Mail is looking increasingly likely. The argument that private companies are more efficient than government - and will pass this benefit to service users - has been demonstrated false time and time again. Recently, for example, price increases of up to 10% have been announced in unregulated fares on the privatised rail network, whilst rail bosses have paid themselves extravagant salaries and bonuses. As the case of Royal Mail has shown, managers like Adam Crozier are rewarded for dismantling public services, so that the most profitable parts can be sold off for private gain. Meanwhile, the taxpayer is left to pick up the bill for the costly parts of essential services. The recent events at Royal Mail are emblematic of a wider struggle between workers and taxpayers and management and private interests.
Police believe that the ‘spike in crime’ is directly related to the booze price drop fuelled by clubs, bars and pubs competing for cheapest prices to lure students. Although students are being labeled as the ‘worst ever’ the focus has been on the source of the problem: cheap booze. It is believed that the increase in bad student behavior can be blamed on the incredibly cheap cost of booze, which Police and council members think has also created a surge in crime. Many are suggesting that a rise in alcohol prices would deter alcohol abuse, and therefore, discourage the ‘anti-social’ behavior issues that are harmful to our society. The Daily Echo notes that health experts have criticized the “pocket money prices” of booze, as they believe it leads to alcohol abuse, which has damaging affects on one’s health. When approached by The Daily Echo Sarah Matthews, from the British Liver Trust, said that:
‘55 people a week in Southampton were admitted to hospital because of alcohol’. She believes that bar and clubs need to take measures into their own hands and promote alcohol responsibly. Matthews goes on to say that, ‘There is no denying that there is a clear link between cheap alcohol and the amount we drink’.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The Good
The Bad
The South African sports ministry has confirmed that Olympic champion Caster Semenya will be able to keep her 800-metre gold medal. Controversy arose after incomplete test results were leaked which brought into question Semenya’s gender. The International Association of Athletics Federations has also permitted the 18-year-old athlete to retain her prize money. Semenya came under scrutiny in Berlin after winning at the World Championships with a two second lead, setting the fastest time of the year. Sports officials have condemned the scandal internationally and the IAAF was accused of violating Semenya’s privacy.
This month Cumbria has dealt with the most severe flooding in its history. The county is now facing the aftermath of the flooding and chief constable of Cumbria police, Craig Mackey, has warned it could be “years” before parts of the county recover. The BBC reported that six bridges have been destroyed, 16 bridges have been closed or destroyed and 2 5 roads are out of use. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced that emergency funding to help rebuild bridges and roads would be made available to local authorities via the Department of Transport.
The Ugly Four members of a gang in Peru have been arrested in relation to the disappearances of up to 60 people in the Huanuco and Pasco regions. The gang is reported to have been killing in order to sell the human fat and tissue for use in Europe cosmetically, with the product reaching up to £9000 a litre. At the news conference where the story broke, reporters were shown two bottles containing human body fat. Felix Burga, the head of Peru’s police criminal division, said there were indications that ‘an international network trafficking human fat’ was operating from Peru. The group has been referred to as the Pishtacos, after an ancient Peruvian legend of killers who attacked people on lonely roads, and murdered them for their fat.