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Crown Office strikers show how to beat back the bosses and the Tories...

Loved

ts fantastic that CWU members at Crown Post Offices (CPOs) are continuing to strike against threats of closures and for decent pay. It shows the determination to stand strong and stop these attacks. This weekends action will see the tenth and eleventh strike days in a dispute that has ran for five months. It is right that the union is escalating to two consecutive days of strikes. The 90 percent vote for action short of a strike enables the union to compliment strikes with a sales ban. This means CPO staff would not sell products like insurance, credit cards and other banking products, hitting bosses hard. The way to win this dispute is to escalate the impact of strikes on the bosses by coming out for longer. Its vital the CWU uses the campaign to push to recruit new members to the union and win new activists on the ground.

stand strong to defend offices, jobs and pay

Labour
Postal workers in the south west lead the way: they have struck for nine days in a battle against bullying

This is a cabinet of millionaires, and for millionairesthey are about making working class people pay, who had nothing to do with causing this economic crisis. And theyre out to divide us. They have attacked migrants and were quick to scapegoat Muslims after the horrific Woolwich murder.

The brilliant response from the public who have supported the action and shown solidarity with strikers illustrates that many are angered by moves to impose closures of offices of a much used and loved service. Why should CWU members accept they have to sit back and watch 373 offices close, with the loss of some 1,500 jobs? Its not as though the money isnt there. Post Office bosses made 94 million profit last year. Some 15.4 million was paid out in bonuses to senior managers. Chief executive Paula Vennells grabbed a 37 percent rise to 697,000 as workers face a pay freeze. Its a disgrace that jobs and offices are under threat, and the Post Office workers have not seen a pay rise since 2011.
Protest at tory conference

29 Sep Manchester
Called by Unison, Unite & GMB Backed by the TUC

march against austerity

CWU striking post workers in Bridgwater need urgent solidarity. Theyve struck 7 days so far and may be out for a full week in September. Cheques F.A.O. Dave Chapple, Bridgwater Trades Council, 1 Blake Place, TA6 5AU Messages of support to davechapple@ btinternet.com

This is a fight that can win, particularly if it is linked to a wider fightback. Some 115,000 CWU members across Royal Mail are readying for a national strike ballot next month after an overwhelming vote for a fight over privatisation, workload, pensions and pay. Meanwhile, last week, 240 delivery office postal workers in Bridgwater and Weston-Super-Mare struck back together in an escalation of a dispute over bullying management. Plymouth postal workers are moving towards a dispute. September could see 700 CWU members striking in the south westas the national ballot is set to start. Crown workers are not fighting alone. This autumn is set to see a national teachers strike in November as well as regional strikes from September onwards. Firefighters are now balloting to strike over pensions and PCS civil service workers are consulting on how best to take their campaign against auterity forward. This Tory led coalition are driving through savage austerity, slashing jobs, pay and services, while handing tax cuts to the rich and ignoring the problem of big business tax avoidance.

With such widespread attacks on workers, youd think Labour would be directing its fire against the Tories. Instead they have been trying to look tough on immigration by raising the issue of Tesco and Next employing Eastern European workers. The problems workers face arent caused by immigration, they are caused by the Tories and employers, who are using the crisis to drive down wages and slash conditions. We must stand together and fight the real enemiesthe Tories and the rich they represent. We cant just wait for Labour, who endorse the Tory mantra for cuts and attack workers who strike back. We can smash Tory austerity, but itll take a serious programme of coordinated strikes. In November 2011, 2.6 million workers struck to defend pensions. We saw the immense power workers have collectively when they stand up together. But union leaders frittered away the momentum. We cannot allow that to happen again. That means building solidarity networks amongst those fighting back now. This is essential to winning victories that would be a boost for everyone under attack. But it is also a way to build pressure for the national coordinated fightback we need. The national demonstration against the Tories in Manchester on 29 September will be key to raising the confidence of workers to fight. Everyone should push to build it as big as possible.

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