Louise Nousratpour in Bournemouth
Tuesday May 24, 2011
The Morning Star
Postal sector delegates called for urgent action today to defend members' pensions, warning that thousands of Royal Mail workers were on "grossly inferior" schemes.
The company closed its final-salary scheme in 2008 and moved existing members on to a new scheme called Care.
London division rep Mark Palfrey told delegates in Bournemouth that because Care was closed to new members, there were now 10,000 people in the "grossly inferior and unagreed" Royal Mail pension plan.
He called on union representatives on the Royal Mail trustee board to press for a "clear pension strategy" that would enable all workers to join Care.
Mr Palfrey added: "The union must also ensure that under privatisation, our pensions are protected."
Wolverhampton and District delegate Dave Jones said that the union had missed an opportunity during the 2007 dispute to save the final-salary scheme, but had instead "marched members to the top of the hill and back down again.
"Ever since, our pensions have deteriorated."
But CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward intervened, saying that the proposals dealt with "the reality of today's situation.
"We can't keep on fighting yesterday's battles," he said.
CWU to fight rights attack 'by all means'
Louise Nousratpour in Bournemouth
Monday May 23, 2011
The Morning Star
Delegates vowed to resist "by all means possible" Con-Dem plans to further erode already inadequate workplace rights by allowing employers to hire and fire workers on a whim.
They called on the TUC, its affiliated unions and the Institute for Employment Rights to mount a united campaign against plans to put time limits on unfair dismissal claims and make it easier and cheaper for employers to sack workers.
Chancellor George Osborne intends to bring forward legislation to "relax" employment, redundancy and workplace discrimination laws and further restrict access to Employment Tribunals in the name of economic recovery.
But East Midlands delegate Linda Woodings today dismissed the economic argument as "stupid, stupid, stupid.
"The idiot Tories don't understand the economics of supply and demand," she told conference delegates in Bournemouth.
"These are failed policies rehashed from the 1980s and will do nothing to fix the economy.
"Thousands are losing their jobs and they can't run to their rich daddy to get his friends to slot them into another job," Ms Woodings added in a slighting reference to the employment history of some millionaire Cabinet ministers.
Conference expressed concern that restrictions proposed on workplace discrimination claims would undermine the fight to eradicate workplace sexism, racism, homophobia and prejudice against vulnerable people.
Delegates also urged the CWU leadership to put pressure on the Labour Party to commit to "restoring and improving" trade union, employment and equality rights when it returns to power.
Deputy general secretary Andy Kerr said the union was involved in a range of political and industrial campaigns to resist the plans.
Supporting the motion on behalf of the executive committee, he said: "We are involved with the employment rights support group and have submitted a response to the government's consultation."
Mr Kerr also highlighted Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins's early day motion 172 on the issue and said the union was putting pressure on the Labour Party executive to campaign against any detrimental changes to the employment laws.
"The whole trade union movement needs to get a grip and campaign against this. The CWU will be at the forefront of that campaign," he said.
Monday May 23, 2011
The Morning Star
Delegates vowed to resist "by all means possible" Con-Dem plans to further erode already inadequate workplace rights by allowing employers to hire and fire workers on a whim.
They called on the TUC, its affiliated unions and the Institute for Employment Rights to mount a united campaign against plans to put time limits on unfair dismissal claims and make it easier and cheaper for employers to sack workers.
Chancellor George Osborne intends to bring forward legislation to "relax" employment, redundancy and workplace discrimination laws and further restrict access to Employment Tribunals in the name of economic recovery.
But East Midlands delegate Linda Woodings today dismissed the economic argument as "stupid, stupid, stupid.
"The idiot Tories don't understand the economics of supply and demand," she told conference delegates in Bournemouth.
"These are failed policies rehashed from the 1980s and will do nothing to fix the economy.
"Thousands are losing their jobs and they can't run to their rich daddy to get his friends to slot them into another job," Ms Woodings added in a slighting reference to the employment history of some millionaire Cabinet ministers.
Conference expressed concern that restrictions proposed on workplace discrimination claims would undermine the fight to eradicate workplace sexism, racism, homophobia and prejudice against vulnerable people.
Delegates also urged the CWU leadership to put pressure on the Labour Party to commit to "restoring and improving" trade union, employment and equality rights when it returns to power.
Deputy general secretary Andy Kerr said the union was involved in a range of political and industrial campaigns to resist the plans.
Supporting the motion on behalf of the executive committee, he said: "We are involved with the employment rights support group and have submitted a response to the government's consultation."
Mr Kerr also highlighted Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins's early day motion 172 on the issue and said the union was putting pressure on the Labour Party executive to campaign against any detrimental changes to the employment laws.
"The whole trade union movement needs to get a grip and campaign against this. The CWU will be at the forefront of that campaign," he said.
Trade unions 'must challenge kettling'
Louise Nousratpour in Bournemouth
Monday May 23, 2011
The Morning Star
Unions must campaign against the increasingly widespread use of "kettling" as seen during recent student demonstrations to protect basic democratic rights, delegates at the CWU conference in Bournemouth said today.
The conference was warned that if not addressed "violent and indiscriminate" police tactics would only get worse as the ruling class becomes increasingly nervous about the prospect of co-ordinated union action or even a potential general strike over spending cuts in the coming months.
Birmingham delegate Clive Walder warned that the state was "beefing up its own powers.
"As their policies increase poverty and unemployment the government wants to ensure that people, especially young people, are too afraid to go out and demonstrate."
Steve Granville of London and South-East branch called for individual police officers to be prosecuted and sacked if found guilty of violence, saying that "they are not (currently) accountable to the public, but to their political masters."
Addressing a fringe meeting on Sunday night Defend the Right to Protest activist Mark Bergfeld said young people were planning mass demonstrations across the country on June 30 to show solidarity with public-sector workers expected to walk out en masse over attacks on their pensions.
Monday May 23, 2011
The Morning Star
Unions must campaign against the increasingly widespread use of "kettling" as seen during recent student demonstrations to protect basic democratic rights, delegates at the CWU conference in Bournemouth said today.
The conference was warned that if not addressed "violent and indiscriminate" police tactics would only get worse as the ruling class becomes increasingly nervous about the prospect of co-ordinated union action or even a potential general strike over spending cuts in the coming months.
Birmingham delegate Clive Walder warned that the state was "beefing up its own powers.
"As their policies increase poverty and unemployment the government wants to ensure that people, especially young people, are too afraid to go out and demonstrate."
Steve Granville of London and South-East branch called for individual police officers to be prosecuted and sacked if found guilty of violence, saying that "they are not (currently) accountable to the public, but to their political masters."
Addressing a fringe meeting on Sunday night Defend the Right to Protest activist Mark Bergfeld said young people were planning mass demonstrations across the country on June 30 to show solidarity with public-sector workers expected to walk out en masse over attacks on their pensions.
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