UK
As union announces four Royal Mail strikes, let’s strike together
Union leaders must seize this opportunity to unite strikes and make Friday 26 August a day of action for the whole working class
SOCIALIST WORKER
Tuesday 09 August 2022
Postal workers, like these ones in Wantage, voted for action in vast numbers
Around 115,000 postal workers in Royal Mail are set to strike for four days in August and September. Their action should be a focus to build massive strikes to transform the present scale of resistance over pay and against the Tories.
On Tuesday the Royal Mail workers’ CWU union announced strikes on Friday 26 August, Wednesday 31 August and Thursday 8 and Friday 9 September.
It follows bosses’ imposition of a below-inflation “rise” of 2 percent. And that’s even more poisonous after the company has recently announced a £758 million profit, paid £400 million to shareholders and handed millions to its executives.
In response workers voted 98 percent for strikes on a 77 percent turnout.
Jane Loftus, vice-president and postal chair of the CWU, told Socialist Worker, “It’s outrageous that Royal Mail, a company awash with profits and handing millions to its top bosses, wants to cut the pay of the workforce in real terms.
“Everywhere now people are saying they have had enough and aren’t going to take this sort of treatment anymore.
“We want our pay strikes to be an encouragement to others to fight. Royal Mail management may well act in a ruthless way, but the CWU can beat them if we use all our strength. We’re looking for support and solidarity from workers everywhere.”
There is now a tremendous potential to unite strikes and make 26 August a focus for the whole working class. Well over 200,000 workers could come out that day—and that’s just the ones with live strike votes now.
If they move in the next 48 hours to give the necessary notice, the RMT, Aslef and TSSA unions on Network Rail, the train operating companies, the London Underground and the Overground could all stop that day. That’s over 50,000 workers.
Add in BT and Openreach—another 40,000 workers also in the CWU—who could be out. Then there are the Post Office Limited counters and cash distribution workers. Then there are local strikes at several bus companies. There are bin workers, health workers and even barristers who are in dispute and could strike.
Around 2,000 workers at Felixstowe—Britain’s biggest container port—have already announced a strike from 21-29 August. So they could be part of it as well.
With Royal Mail, the total is well over 200,000 workers. That would really shake up bosses and the Tories, and it isn‘t against the anti-union laws.
It can go much further. It should be a day for the whole working class. Union leaders must appeal for everyone to join in, come to rallies and marches and, if possible, strike. Make it a big all-union push for action at Amazon and Uber and all the other places where people are seething for action.
A united day could kick off strike ballots in the NHS, the universities, local government, the civil service and other parts of the public sector.
The 26 August is also the day when Ofgem, the energy regulator, announces the next price rises in gas and electricity that will be applied in October. So as well as the pay strikes, the rallies and marches can be open to everyone who wants resistance to the deadly scale of price rises.
It could focus climate change campaigners and anti-racists around the powerful core of working class action.
Friday 26 August should be Fightback Friday for every worker. The only thing that will stop it from happening is if the union leaders don’t act quickly. If they don’t get it together for 26 August, they must be pushed to create united action on one of the other Royal Mail strike days.
They must be pressured to build the individual sets of strikes but also to come together and to lay the basis for even bigger action by millions.
Striking rail workers say everyone should join fight
Discontent with poverty pay and terrible conditions is leading workers to take action and strike for better
Aslef strike in Leeds (Picture: Neil Terry).
The rail network is set to grind to a halt on Saturday, with around 6,000 train drivers planning to strike across nine train operating companies. In their battle for better pay, the members of the Aslef union are showing no sign of backing down—and now more workers are ready to join the fight.
Aslef members at four more operating companies are currently balloting for action. Strikes by train drivers will add to the mounting pressure on the bosses and the Tories. Next week sees bigger waves of action. Rail workers across Network Rail and 14 train operating companies are preparing to strike on Thursday 18 and Saturday 20 August.
It’s a battle to save jobs, protect safety and win a pay rise that beats inflation. Andy, a Network Rail worker from east London and member of the RMT union, told Socialist Worker that strikers are “ready to win.”
“The cost of living is pushing everyone to strike,” he said. “And that’s right. We need fair pay—there are people who I work with who no longer have enough money to raise their kids or pay rent or bills.”
Adam is a catering worker for train operating company LNER in Northumbria. He told Socialist Worker, “The mood is strong, full of hope and optimism for a victory. “There is a worry about the loss of earnings and the cost of living crisis. Fundraisers are planned to build a hardship fund for strikers, to keep them on the picket lines.”
Strikes on Network Rail will be boosted by around 10,400 London Underground and Overground workers who plan to strike on Friday 19 August in two disputes over jobs, pay and safety.
Train managers in the TSSA union and electronic control workers in the Unite union also plan to strike on 18 and 20 August.
Strikers have to make sure union leaders don’t settle for less than a clear victory, but action on the railways are only the tip of the iceberg. Millions of workers sense that fighting back is the only way to confront the cost of living crisis.
There could be strikes in the postal service in the near future, with CWU union leaders expected to announce a date for action after Socialist Worker went to press. This would catapult a further 115,000 workers into action.
And 1,600 London bus workers employed by London United plan to strike on 19 and 20 August after refusing a paltry pay offer of 3.5 percent this year. In addition to all this, strikes by refuse workers, ballots for action in universities and wildcat strikes by Amazon workers show a growing mood to revolt.
NHS workers start the votes on key pay strikes
Unions representing hundreds of thousands of NHS workers in England and Wales are this week starting a series of ballots for strikes over pay. The Tory government has imposed a flat rate increase of just £1,400 a year, which for most workers will be an effective pay cut.
The Unite union, which represents laboratory staff and others, has just begun a five-week consultative ballot and asked its members to vote for industrial action. The nurses’ RCN will ballot for strikes from 15 September with a recommendation that members vote yes.
And, the giant Unison union is balloting for strikes—but not until 27 October.
The battle is now on to ensure the biggest possible turnout and the largest yet yes vote for strikes.
In Scotland, where the offer is a tiny 5 percent rise—a big pay cut—the results of unions’ consultative ballots on the offer were due on Friday this week.
The only way to stop the destruction of the NHS, and chronic understaffing, is to back the fight of those who work for it.
Coordinate action to hit Tories
Rail workers have been given strength by huge waves of solidarity from other trade unionists and activists. Network Rail worker Andy said the support is “overwhelming”, adding that “it’s nothing that we expected”.
He believes the solidarity has strengthened the mood among his colleagues to win. “The Tories now have to think twice about attacking us because there’s an army of people behind us.”
But to make the strikes stronger, they ought to be coordinated. Union leaders from RMT, Aslef, TSSA and Unite should call out every rail worker on the same day. And every worker across every industry who has a mandate could strike on the same day.
So, for example, bus drivers and refuse workers in dispute everywhere could strike on the same day as rail workers.
‘I want more strikes now,’ says RMT Network Rail worker
Even those workers who aren’t in a union could be urged to take part. Walkouts by Amazon workers have shown that it is possible to take action without going through ballots and meeting thresholds.
A day—or even better, several days—of united strikes would send a message the Tories could not ignore. And we need more rallies and demonstrations. The RMT has called demos for 20 August in cities such as Sheffield and Liverpool.
These should happen everywhere. They can focus support, build strikes, encourage others to join the battle and provide a forum for discussion.
Every striker has to be actively involved—on the picket lines and in deciding how to take the battle forward. It can’t be left to the union leaders
Discontent with poverty pay and terrible conditions is leading workers to take action and strike for better
Aslef strike in Leeds (Picture: Neil Terry).
The rail network is set to grind to a halt on Saturday, with around 6,000 train drivers planning to strike across nine train operating companies. In their battle for better pay, the members of the Aslef union are showing no sign of backing down—and now more workers are ready to join the fight.
Aslef members at four more operating companies are currently balloting for action. Strikes by train drivers will add to the mounting pressure on the bosses and the Tories. Next week sees bigger waves of action. Rail workers across Network Rail and 14 train operating companies are preparing to strike on Thursday 18 and Saturday 20 August.
It’s a battle to save jobs, protect safety and win a pay rise that beats inflation. Andy, a Network Rail worker from east London and member of the RMT union, told Socialist Worker that strikers are “ready to win.”
“The cost of living is pushing everyone to strike,” he said. “And that’s right. We need fair pay—there are people who I work with who no longer have enough money to raise their kids or pay rent or bills.”
Adam is a catering worker for train operating company LNER in Northumbria. He told Socialist Worker, “The mood is strong, full of hope and optimism for a victory. “There is a worry about the loss of earnings and the cost of living crisis. Fundraisers are planned to build a hardship fund for strikers, to keep them on the picket lines.”
Strikes on Network Rail will be boosted by around 10,400 London Underground and Overground workers who plan to strike on Friday 19 August in two disputes over jobs, pay and safety.
Train managers in the TSSA union and electronic control workers in the Unite union also plan to strike on 18 and 20 August.
Strikers have to make sure union leaders don’t settle for less than a clear victory, but action on the railways are only the tip of the iceberg. Millions of workers sense that fighting back is the only way to confront the cost of living crisis.
There could be strikes in the postal service in the near future, with CWU union leaders expected to announce a date for action after Socialist Worker went to press. This would catapult a further 115,000 workers into action.
And 1,600 London bus workers employed by London United plan to strike on 19 and 20 August after refusing a paltry pay offer of 3.5 percent this year. In addition to all this, strikes by refuse workers, ballots for action in universities and wildcat strikes by Amazon workers show a growing mood to revolt.
NHS workers start the votes on key pay strikes
Unions representing hundreds of thousands of NHS workers in England and Wales are this week starting a series of ballots for strikes over pay. The Tory government has imposed a flat rate increase of just £1,400 a year, which for most workers will be an effective pay cut.
The Unite union, which represents laboratory staff and others, has just begun a five-week consultative ballot and asked its members to vote for industrial action. The nurses’ RCN will ballot for strikes from 15 September with a recommendation that members vote yes.
And, the giant Unison union is balloting for strikes—but not until 27 October.
The battle is now on to ensure the biggest possible turnout and the largest yet yes vote for strikes.
In Scotland, where the offer is a tiny 5 percent rise—a big pay cut—the results of unions’ consultative ballots on the offer were due on Friday this week.
The only way to stop the destruction of the NHS, and chronic understaffing, is to back the fight of those who work for it.
Coordinate action to hit Tories
Rail workers have been given strength by huge waves of solidarity from other trade unionists and activists. Network Rail worker Andy said the support is “overwhelming”, adding that “it’s nothing that we expected”.
He believes the solidarity has strengthened the mood among his colleagues to win. “The Tories now have to think twice about attacking us because there’s an army of people behind us.”
But to make the strikes stronger, they ought to be coordinated. Union leaders from RMT, Aslef, TSSA and Unite should call out every rail worker on the same day. And every worker across every industry who has a mandate could strike on the same day.
So, for example, bus drivers and refuse workers in dispute everywhere could strike on the same day as rail workers.
‘I want more strikes now,’ says RMT Network Rail worker
Even those workers who aren’t in a union could be urged to take part. Walkouts by Amazon workers have shown that it is possible to take action without going through ballots and meeting thresholds.
A day—or even better, several days—of united strikes would send a message the Tories could not ignore. And we need more rallies and demonstrations. The RMT has called demos for 20 August in cities such as Sheffield and Liverpool.
These should happen everywhere. They can focus support, build strikes, encourage others to join the battle and provide a forum for discussion.
Every striker has to be actively involved—on the picket lines and in deciding how to take the battle forward. It can’t be left to the union leaders
WE AREN'T FIGHTING JUST THE BOSSES BUT THE GOVERNMENT TOO
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