Britain: Postal workers discuss disaffiliation from Labour, ballot for national strike

[Hannah Bell]

Britain’s postal workers, already engaged in a rolling series of one-day regional strikes against attacks on jobs and conditions, begin balloting this week for national action. The ballot closes on October 8 and is expected to result in national strike action shortly afterwards.

Postal workers are also again proposing that the Communication Workers Union (CWU) end its financial support for the Labour Party. Postal workers in London have launched a consultative ballot on continued financial support for Labour...

Royal Mail is determined to impose drastic speed-ups, increase workloads and slash jobs. Managers have already imposed route revisions and shift changes. Postal workers face a possible 40 percent reduction in staffing levels. This attack has been fully supported by the Labour government...

If the militancy and determination of postal workers is not in doubt, the same cannot be said for the union that claims to represent them. The CWU leadership has done everything in its power to prevent any national action thus far...The CWU leadership has been concerned to offer itself as the mechanism for ensuring that the Royal Mail “thrives as a business..."

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/sep2009/cwub-s16.shtml