Supporting Postal Workers
grayee Fri Oct 12, 2007 at 11:14:57 PM GMT 
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This lunchtime at work, one of the reception staff came up to my desk with a bunch of leaflets. They told me that striking Posties had come in and asked them if there was a union rep in the building, who could put one of their leaflets on the union notice board and distribute the rest.
I went down to the reception but they had already left. I saw that they had put the same flyers on all car windscreens parked all along the Roman Road. It was a pity that I missed them. They only left 5 leaflets. These flyers were very good. The title was “A message to the public” and explained in simple direct terms the Posties’ case and what people could do to help.
I went down to the reception but they had already left. I saw that they had put the same flyers on all car windscreens parked all along the Roman Road. It was a pity that I missed them. They only left 5 leaflets. These flyers were very good. The title was “A message to the public” and explained in simple direct terms the Posties’ case and what people could do to help.
I was pleased that when I went back to my desk and gave people copies of the flyer that it generated a discussion with work colleagues on the strike, the impact that it was having and what people thought of it. Only a few people joined in but others listened. It was pretty favourable, even those who were unsympathetic about strikes (“them and the bloody railway union are always on strike”) had a “good” story about their favourite Posties, past and present. It is of course, one of the last personal “door to door” services that most working people grew up with and still cherish. Even though nowadays most people buy stuff at the supermarket or online rather than on the doorstop (milk, newspapers, rent, insurance, savings etc) because it’s cheaper and suits them more.
I think that people were interested in the leaflet since it explained that the strike was about “proper trade union issues”. For example; opposing pay cuts and the slashing of their pensions. As well as being sent home early one day, and then expected to work longer hours whenever management needed them, without notice or extra pay. One working Mum present said she couldn’t do such a job when her kids were small since she had to have regular hours to pick them up from school. The prospect of letters being delivered at 4pm and the ending of Sunday collections didn’t go down very well either.
Our local East End sorting office in Bromley- by-Bow is on a “Wildcat” unofficial strike. I have just heard on the radio that a high court judge has granted an injunction banning next week’s “official” strike action. Don’t know what the reason is but I can guess.
By coincidence I was late getting into work this morning and heard the first 15 minutes of “Desert Island Discs”. The guest was former Postie, Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Health. Alan of course was the former General Secretary of the Posties Union, the “Communication Workers Union”. Alan and the CWU have “fallen out” since. This is a shame. Alan gave a very moving account of being brought up in poverty amongst very difficult family circumstance in London during the 1950s. Not the usual picture of life in the 50s of happy, smiley families who left the front door unlocked, but one of extreme poverty, cold, hunger, overcrowding and common place violence. However, when he was asked how he coped with modern pressures as health secretary he said he was used to it. When as General Secretary of the CWU, he was in charge of 160,000 trade union members who were on all out strike action, he soon learnt to cope with pressure. I suppose Billy Hayes is learning fast too.
UPDATE: 00:15 BBC 24 "deal" Strike over?
I think that people were interested in the leaflet since it explained that the strike was about “proper trade union issues”. For example; opposing pay cuts and the slashing of their pensions. As well as being sent home early one day, and then expected to work longer hours whenever management needed them, without notice or extra pay. One working Mum present said she couldn’t do such a job when her kids were small since she had to have regular hours to pick them up from school. The prospect of letters being delivered at 4pm and the ending of Sunday collections didn’t go down very well either.
Our local East End sorting office in Bromley- by-Bow is on a “Wildcat” unofficial strike. I have just heard on the radio that a high court judge has granted an injunction banning next week’s “official” strike action. Don’t know what the reason is but I can guess.
By coincidence I was late getting into work this morning and heard the first 15 minutes of “Desert Island Discs”. The guest was former Postie, Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Health. Alan of course was the former General Secretary of the Posties Union, the “Communication Workers Union”. Alan and the CWU have “fallen out” since. This is a shame. Alan gave a very moving account of being brought up in poverty amongst very difficult family circumstance in London during the 1950s. Not the usual picture of life in the 50s of happy, smiley families who left the front door unlocked, but one of extreme poverty, cold, hunger, overcrowding and common place violence. However, when he was asked how he coped with modern pressures as health secretary he said he was used to it. When as General Secretary of the CWU, he was in charge of 160,000 trade union members who were on all out strike action, he soon learnt to cope with pressure. I suppose Billy Hayes is learning fast too.
UPDATE: 00:15 BBC 24 "deal" Strike over?
Supporting Postal Workers | 5 comments (5 topical)
Supporting Postal Workers | 5 comments (5 topical)
