CPSU Press Release in support of the CWU 1 day strike & March this Wednesday the 8th

by Paul Kinsella - CPSU An Post Branch Committee Mon Dec 06, 2004 20:58 paulkinsella53 at yahoo dot com 53 Lorcan Grove, Santry, Dublin 9, Eire 085-1478100

Rallying support for the 1 day national postal strike & March in Dublin this Wednesday, December 8th.
CWU Press Release

Thursday. 2 December 04

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CWU calls national day of protest for next Wednesday over “wanton
destruction” of national postal service.

Postal workers to strike against multiple breeches of agreement by out-of-control management at An Post.

Union head-office, NCR, Dublin: Postal workers across the country will participate in a national day of protest next Wednesday ( December 8) culminating in a major public demonstration at Leinster House in Dublin that afternoon. The decision to stage a day of protest was taken by the National Executive Council of the Communications Workers’ Union following a meeting of the 22-member ruling body at the union’s head-office in Dublin earlier today.

The CWU executive met this morning to consider the most appropriate steps in giving effect to the overwhelming 91% mandate for industrial action it received from its members at An Post last week. The NEC has decided to stage a one-day strike of all CWU members in protest at clear breaches of existing national agreements such as

· Sustaining Progress
· The SDS Rescue Agreement (June 2003)
· The Transformation through Partnership in An Post Agreement July2000
· The Revised Working Arrangements Agreement (Dublin Mails Centre 2002)
· The Agreed Grievance arid Disciplinary Procedures 1990
· Labour Relations Commission settlement terms 31/03/04
· Christmas Arrangements LRC Agreement 19/11/04

In accordance with the provisions of the 1990 Industrial Relations Act, the CWU has this afternoon communicated its decision to An Post management, the Minister for Communications, Marine & Natural Resources, and the chair of the LRC and the Labour Court.

Commenting on the NEC decision, CWU General Secretary, Steve Fitzpatrick said “The clay of protest next Wednesday is the first step in a vigorous campaign of action by this union and its members to rescue the national postal service from wanton and senseless destruction by an incompetent and untrustworthy management at An Post.

The national postal service is not the private play-thing of the Chief Executive or the board of An Post, but is a State asset that is owned by the Government and the people of Ireland. It would amount to an abject failure of democratic accountability if the nations post office were decimated without a full national debate about the consequences for all its stakeholders, the customers, the staff, the shareholder and not least for vulnerable groups such as those who are regionally isolated, small businesses, the elderly, the disabled, and low income families.

Nor will the CWU stand idly by as management at An Post dismantles the Government-sponsored partnership process, destroys LRC agreements, spreads anti-employee innuendos and engineers financially flawed board decisions that threaten the livelihoods of our members and their families.

Today the NEC has decided that as a first step in that campaign, it will ask all members to engage in a one-day official work stoppage by withdrawing their labour from the postal service for 24 hours. Additionally, we are asking as many members as possible to travel to Dublin to join in a public protest march through the capital city to Leinster House where we will conduct a peaceful rally at the gates of Dáil Eireann. And we are inviting all those who want to save the national postal service from destruction to join us.

The NEC also gives notice today that further industrial action is inevitable if An Post senior management continue to ignore our lights under the National Agreement, Sustaining Progress. i.e. engagement with the staff representatives through Partnership and payment of our cost of living increases.

The collective resolve of the CWIJ is to face down the constant unprovoked attacks on us by this unrestrained belligerent management in the GPO and to confront an at best passive Government by forcing a genuine and honest debate on the future of the national postal service into the public arena. Confidence in management is sub-zero. Faith in the Governments much- vaunted partnership approach is close to nil. The only way forward is through genuine and honest debate, not through murky dealings in the dark, but in the open public arena.

Ends/

Contacts: CWU Head Office 8663000

CWU Press Office: Imelda Wall 086 8716226

CWU National Officer: Sean McDonagh 087 2417613

by Paul Kinsella - CPSU An Post Branch Committee Mon Dec 06, 2004 21:31 paulkinsella53 at yahoo dot com 53 Lorcan Grove, Santry, Dublin 9, Eire 085-1478100

Yip, you aint seeing things! The normally ultra conservative and cautious Public Service Executive Union (PSEU) representing lower management grades in An Post have also told their members to participate in this Wednesday's March.

by Angry PSEU Member Tue Dec 07, 2004 11:09

Lower Management? We also represent Middle Management grades!

by Worker Tue Dec 07, 2004 20:15

Paul Kinsella why are you attacking the PSEU? OK, it may not be as radical as your union, but it is a workers' union. So what if someone has a college degree or got promoted? They are still working class! Fair play to the PSEU, CPSU, and any other Unions supporting their comrades in the CWU.

by Trollwatch Wed Dec 08, 2004 17:17

Some well known trolls on this site have a thing against the PSEU for being 'reactionary'. As if the SIPTU bureacrats are not reactionary!

by pat c - PSEUdo Union member Wed Dec 08, 2004 18:06

The only PSEU members I ever met who considered themselves to be working class were left wing activists. It is a "union" for line and middle management. Fair dues to those activists who continue to fight for progressive policies within the PSEU, but I personally dont think its worth the effort. I think my time can be more fruitfully spent elsewhere.

The only hope for the PSEU (imho) is for it to amalgamate with the CPSU - the REAL Civil Service Workers Union.

by Another worker Wed Dec 08, 2004 18:09

If CWU leadership is so radical why did they allow their former secretary general to collect a multi-million euro golden handshake from Eircom. Or maybe getting rich from being a union leader is the new radicalism.

If that's the case, I'm all for a bit of reaction - reaction against the new corporate trade-unionists.

The workers need a new untainted CWU and to get rid of those got them into this mess along with the former "management". They probably would have been better off being in the PSEU in the first place!

by worker Thu Dec 09, 2004 17:13

Many of the "management" in the PSEU are as working class as anyone else. I'm sure most are struggling to pay mortgages, etc. just like everyone else. They must sell their labour like all other workers. I cannot stand the "prolier than thou" attitude that writes off many workers simply because they got a promotion, earn more, got a college degree etc.

Pat would you agree that Marx said that it's the task of revolutionaries to create a working class consciousness. If it doesn't exist in the PSEU, then try to put it in there! Why not think of taking up issues that would attract PSEU members and campaign on them. OK, they may not all be revolutionaries, but what Union is!!!

by Paul Kinsella - CPSU An Post Branch Committee Thu Dec 09, 2004 22:20 paulkinsella53 at yahoo dot com 085-1478100

Hope anybody didn't get me wrong, there are many good activists and people in the PSEU. After all they've been promoted from the ranks of the CPSU which has become more radicalised over the last few years so there is hope. Only that it will take a long struggle to reclaim the PSEU. Who knows? Someday soon I might get promoted into the ranks of the PSEU. It's the extremely conservative and reactionary leadership of the PSEU that I'm having a go at. Anyway for the first ever they actually had a debate about a pay deal last year (Sustaining Progress) instead of just having a 'yes' recommendation from the PSEU Executive without even allowing the 2 sides of the story to be told to the membership, so things are changing, if very slowly. There were a number of PSEU plackards and banners on yesterday's March as well as a fair few PSEU members. Talking of which read my report on yesterday's protest at http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=67863

by worker Fri Dec 10, 2004 14:02

Things can change very quickly. The Unions today are very much under the control of disgusting bureaucrats, but this can change quite quickly. The PSEU may be particularly bad, but this can change very quickly. If PSEU members have thier living conditiond threatened, or if there is the prospoect of redundencies, job lay offs, changes in working conditions, etc. then there can be change in the PSEU. To write off the membership of the Union is incorrect in my opinion.

by pat c Fri Dec 10, 2004 15:10

i'm just stating the actuality of my experience of working with PSEU members. they do not see themselves as being members of the working class. that might upset your theory but reality often has a habit of disagreeing with revolutionary theories.

"Pat would you agree that Marx said that it's the task of revolutionaries to create a working class consciousness. "

marx was not a god or a saint. you should not base your actions around the words of someone who died 121 yrs ago. marx wouldnt have wanted it. remember he wrote: "as for myself, i am not a marxist". he did not want himself to be deified or his opinions to become holy writ.

its another thing though to see him as an inspiration.

"If it doesn't exist in the PSEU, then try to put it in there! "

i tried for years.

"Why not think of taking up issues that would attract PSEU members and campaign on them."

i was a competent shop steward and raised the economic demands and represented members problems. it honestly did not seem to be leading anywhere. when you get down to it, the PSEU is a union of managers, theres no point in putting any spin on it.

thats my opinion. i am not denigrating those socialists who choose to continue to be active in the pseu. i feel my time is better spent on other things.

by Spartwatch Fri Dec 10, 2004 17:24

The most surprising thing I found about the demo was the fact that the Sparts were on it and secondly and most shockingly they spent their time talking to postal workers and not members of the SP and SWP!

Did anyone see their literature?

by pat c Fri Dec 10, 2004 17:28

No! I would have loved to read a Spart leaflet addressed to real workers.

by Kenny Loggins Fri Dec 10, 2004 18:00

I wonder if New York are aware of this turn to real workers by the ICL's Irish franchise?

could we see the SGI be expelled from the ICL for such disgusting and oppurtunistic methods?