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Vol. 73/No. 45      November 23, 2009

 
Postal strike cancelled
in United Kingdom
 
BY PAUL DAVIES  
LONDON—Leaders of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) have called off two 24-hour strikes of postal workers. Previous weeks' strike actions had involved different grades, but the cancelled strikes were due to involve all 121,000 workers.

The work stoppages were to oppose Royal Mail’s "modernization" plans, which include layoffs and speedup. Postal bosses have also suspended workers and imposed changes to hours worked. Some 60,000 postal workers have lost their jobs in the past five years.

Talks over the job cuts, working conditions, and pay will resume between the union, postal bosses, government arbitration organization ACAS, and the Trades Union Congress. The CWU leadership is willing to agree to job cuts to get a deal with postal bosses. Union deputy general secretary David Ward argues for "modernization with [union] consent."

The decision to halt the strike action was welcomed by government minister Peter Mandelson, who had previously initiated and then withdrew plans to partly privatize the state-owned Royal Mail. Conservative shadow business secretary Kenneth Clarke said a future Conservative government would privatize Royal Mail.
 
 
Related articles:
Fighting for a class-struggle course in the unions  
 
 
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