End The Witch Hunt!

Reinstate All Suspended Postal Workers Now!

In a previous article, we analysed the disgraceful sell-out deal that the leadership of the Communication Workers Union agreed with the management of Royal Mail. Aside from the lack of any real concessions on pay, conditions and job security the deal left the fate of 400 CWU reps and other postal workers who had been either sacked or suspended by Royal Mail during the dispute.

Rather than insist on reinstatement for all those who had been victimised in this way by Royal Mail management the CWU leadership they settled for a “review” of these cases led by the former Lord Chancellor, Charles Falconer. This review was accepted by Dave Ward after the intervention of the former TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber, who now heads ACAS, and it bears all the hallmarks of an establishment stitch up Brendan Barber (who is now a knight of the realm) spent a lifetime making sure that every major struggle the TUC had any influence over was snuffed out before it could gain any real momentum.

His crowning achievement was leading the sell out of the public sector pensions struggle in 2011, this lifetime of service to the British ruling class was rewarded with a knighthood and another job this time working in the “arbitration” service, an institution that is used to sell rotten deals to workers under the guise of “neutrality”. As for Falconer, he advised the National Coal board during the miners strike of 1984-85 before holding many posts in the Blair government and was crucial in providing a “legal” case for the invasion of Iraq, which led to over one million Iraqis dying in horrific circumstances. His Lordship is an establishment man to the core and was part of many anti-working class governments.

So why would Dave Ward agree to his reps and members being judged by such a man who has proven himself over many decades to be a bitter enemy of the working class and trade union movement? The answer to this lies in the relationship that the CWU leaders have with the Labour Party and its leader, Sir Keir Starmer. With the industrial action of 2022 gathering pace and generating support from across the working class, the only man who would have been more desperate than Rishi Sunak for it to end would have been Keir Starmer. He is on a mission to prove that he can control the trade union movement in a way that previous labour leaders have done in order that his pro-capitalist agenda can be pushed through with minimal resistance.

The Labour Party leaders no doubt exerted pressure upon the CWU leaders, and their acceptance of this review headed by Falconer is part of this. With over 400 reps and postal workers suspended or sacked, though only 200 have been forwarded to the Falconer review by the CWU leadership. So what is happening to the other 200? Is it the case that Dave Ward has abandoned hundreds of his own reps and members? It certainly seems that way. With so many being sacked or suspended, often those who are either reps or active in support of other workers it is clear that Royal Mail management are going all out to remove the strongest elements of the union. This makes Wards slogan “we’re still here” sound not just hollow but words designed to cover his collusion with Royal Mail management. If the union leaders are going to sit on their hands and refuse to acknowledge the many calls for renewed strike action coming from CWU branches over this then the only conclusion you can draw from this is that Dave Ward and the rest of the leadership are actively colluding with Royal Mail in sacking any effective trade unionist. This makes Ward and his whole miserable gang traitors to their union and the entire working class. If Dave Ward is prepared to sell out his union for a pat on the head from Keir Starmer, then he has no place leading anything. He and the other leaders who signed up to this treacherous deal must be forced to resign.

If the CWU leaders won’t defend Royal Mail workers from this witch hunt run by the employer, then the rest of the working class must step up. One small first step that we should take is to move motions through our union branches in support of the victimised postal workers.

We provide the text below as an example of wording.

Model Motion – End The Witch Hunt at Royal Mail

This branch recognises that being an active trade unionist in Britain is more difficult now than it has been for more than a generation. The hostility of the government and the employers to the working class is relentless as is their desire to victimise anyone who defends workers from the arbitrary power of the bosses. With that in mind this branch offers its unconditional solidarity with the over 400 workers at Royal Mail who have been sacked or suspended following the recent dispute. This is clearly a campaign designed by the Royal Mail management to break the power of the CWU in the workplace by sacking or suspending any active trade unionist they can manufacture a case against. The aim is clear, to reduce the effectiveness of the union by getting rid of the most active union reps. The entire trade union movement must take a stand against this. Therefore we instruct the National Executive Committee to take the following steps.

1) To write to the CWU expressing our total solidarity with their members who have been subjected to this victimisation campaign and backing their immediate reinstatement with no loss of pay

2) To launch a union wide campaign raising awareness of the union busting activities of Royal Mail

3) To raise the issue of union busting at the TUC General Council and demand that the TUC leads a campaign against it

3) To contact all MPs that are part of our unions parliamentary group in order that this issue can be raised in parliament

4) To raise the issue in the national and online media