THE LEADERSHIP the Union of Cominication Workers as given notice that it 3 going to wage no efective fight against the Tories plans to dismanthe present postal crvice destroy ostworkers living stanards. This is what lay ehind the criminal excutive instruction to • Mount Pleasant sor*g office workers eurn to work in line vith the court order.
Management has in the seline one of the biggest acks on the workforce e1 seen in nationalised inincludes what ounts to a 20 per cent through the of overtime on or a's stem oroducLa system of part and casual workers.
Overtime pay averages per week. Manage claim that 'producity' payments will offest is wage cut.
But not only do they Imit that the absolute taximum this would bring rould be f14 — which ty a very narrow layer of orkers could have hoped roget - such schemes inwitably involve speed ups redundancies.
somelming mucn mort tangerous is involved in ccepting such a proposal that is the introduction two-tier system of arking conditions.
bote layer of workers on : time and casual basis have the status of sead class citizens.
The proposal is for .000 such workers. As if four million unployed are out of work really they -c ag parl ume or casual toyment!
And then behind this is open plan onopolise the postal avice. T'his would have effect of weakening the gaining strength of the union and allowing condinons to de rurtner eroded. In terms of service such a system would mean a complete deterioration of the postal sente for the working with SUUC_ efficient for business.
Postal workers have no option but to fight. This is what the Mount Pleasant workers understood. Their sentiment shared by Anknate and down the land. WUIACS UI This las Deen reveaied in the intransigent stance of the labU COUHe 1HE0 IPT conferences of the union.
What the leadership is banking on, the destabilising adherence to the order. In the wake of the hoped for subsequent demoralisation the ecutive calculates that the upcoming May national conference will capitulate to its agreement on part workIng WILE management.
The Mount Pleasant workers are in an excellent position to scupper these planș. Three thousand and seventy workers are con centrated there. Thirty per cent of the nation's passes through the office, including all the post from Heathrow Gatwick airports.
Of course, the Tories are poised to unlease the scab private postal firms that presently ticipating the massive profits to be made in a postal service geared big business spending. The rest of us can go to hell -we're not profitable.
However, the movement is quite capable staying these scab outfits. 1 ne airport workers coulo strike a death blow with a flick of their all incoming outstanding question is whether the lesson in unity has been learned the experience of the miners defeat.