The US-UK trade deal is happening. Take action to stop it!

It is happening. The UK is starting formal US trade deal negotiations today. The deal will be built on an agenda of deregulation, privatisation and ‘corporate courts’, all with the same aim – big business profits, whatever the cost to people and planet.

Under the ‘pro-corporate power’ agendas of both US President Trump and UK Prime Minister Johnson, this deal will pull the UK into the regulatory orbit of the US, lowering our social, health and environmental standards – unless we stop it.

Will you take action to stop it, by writing to your MP today?

EVERY SINGLE POSTAL WORKER IN THE UK NEEDS TO SEE THIS – STAND BY YOUR UNION

Royal Mail USO/Executive Action

This LTB is to update Branches, Representatives and members on the union’s response to the announcement made yesterday by Royal Mail Group regarding the company’s executive decision to suspend Saturday letter deliveries and to impose un-agreed changes to the current operational network and agreed duty structures.

By their actions Royal Mail has derecognised the union and disrespected our members and the customers we serve. They are refusing to adhere to any of our agreements, be they at local or national level.

It is quite clear that this current managerial leadership has no moral compass and has dragged standards of behaviour and industrial relations to an all-time low. Our members have lost full confidence and trust in these people and this planned national executive action is a despicable attempt to use a public health crisis to drive through long-term and highly damaging change.

The changes they advocate go to the very heart of our dispute and our ability to protect the 6 day USO, our members’ jobs and this great public service. We stepped back from our dispute to do the right thing for our nation during this pandemic and Royal Mail Group agreed to do the same but they are now breaking that agreement.

The timing of their action was also in our opinion deliberately planned to coincide with the CWU National Postal Workers day, so when the rest of the nation, including politicians from all parties, were showing their gratitude for our members and this excellent public service, RMG were rewarding them for their efforts with this highly damaging imposition and the very real potential of 20,000 job losses.

Against this backdrop the Postal Executive, following consultation with our Senior Field Officials earlier today, has agreed the following political and industrial response:

🛑 The union will explore with immediate effect and where possible utilise all legal options available to mount a legal challenge against the actions of the company, including if possible a challenge on the reduction of the USO being an unlawful act.

🛑 In line with the relevant legislation it is the union’s intention to draw up the appropriate notices to send to Royal Mail within the legal timeframe that will result in us calling upon our members in Royal Mail to take industrial action in line with the ballot result we announced on 17th March 2020.

🛑 With immediate effect Representatives and members should not cooperate or give any local agreement to any deployment of management’s plan.

🛑 In defiance of the company’s unilateral action, all members should continue to adhere to their currently agreed duty/attendance arrangements.

🛑 The union will issue further guidance on all aspects of H&S standards and compliance with HMG guidance relating to social distancing/PPE within the workplace, the legal obligations of the employer to comply with them as well as the legal requirement for the employer to consult the recognised Trade Union on changes in the workplace which have health and safety implications.

🛑 The DGS(P) Department in conjunction with the General Secretary, Postal National Officers and the Head of Communications will develop a high profile communications strategy, including as a priority an individual letter to all postal members that sets out and exposes in detail the actions of the company and reaffirms the CWU commitment to defend its members, their terms and conditions and the public postal service. The union via the office of the General Secretary will continue to explore all political avenues in challenging Ofcom and the Government.

A New Lucas Plan for post-pandemic socially useful jobs?

The public health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has put into sharp focus the precarious nature of work and human lives upon which our neoliberal capitalist economies thrive. On the other hand, it has shown who is essential to society such as the workers in health and social care, public transport and other public services, and in the food supply chain.

To ensure capital survives, the government has found a ‘magic money tree’ to stimulate the economy. Companies in the aerospace and defence sector are being called upon to repurpose their production lines for socially needed products such as ventilators or PPE. Meanwhile, workers in some industries are already calling for conversion of their companies to produce socially useful products.

In a few weeks, many things we were told were not possible, have become just that – possible. Many, even in the mainstream, there will be no return to ‘normal’ after the pandemic is dealt with. We believe more radical changes are needed, and that socially useful production is the key idea for the future.

This webinar will discuss how do we can learn from the Covid crisis to create workers and community plans for social and ecologically useful production as a way to address the pre-existing multiple crises of militarisation, climate change, and robotisation.

Speakers include:

Phil Asquith – former Lucas Aerospace Shop Stewards Combine member.

Hilary Wainwright – founding editor Red Pepper, co-author, with Dave Elliott of ‘The Lucas Plan: a new trade unionism in the making’, fellow of the Transnational Institute’.

Representatives from Green Jobs Oshawa in Canada on their call to repurpose the former General Motors car plant to a public manufacturing facility

Respecting Our Health & Wellbeing

A key focus of Remote Respect is also to ensure people’s health and wellbeing are being respected. While this dramatic shift in ways of doing things creates a huge opportunity for getting things done and helps with productivity in the workplace, it’s not without potential negative impact on us either.

A report from the United Nations International Labour Organisation found that while employees are more productive when they work outside of the conventional office, they’re also more vulnerable to working longer hours, a more intense work pace, work-home interference, and, in some cases, greater stress.

Internationalism & the Crisis – Building a world of co-operation, ending debt, sanctions & war

Friday May 1, 3pm, online event – register here // retweet here to spread the word // RSVP+share+invite here.

Jeremy Corbyn MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP and Lindsey German of the Stop the War Coalition will be joined by international guests for this event, which is part of a number of special events on May Day.

Hosted by Arise – A Festival of Labour’s Left Ideas – contact arisefestival@yahoo.com for more information.

SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIAN WORKERS

Palestinian workers are facing the constant pressures of living and working under the Israeli military control of the occupation and siege.

Covid-19 is presenting them with a new set of deadly challenges. This includes Israel’s almost complete closing off of the West Bank, affecting the survival of the 70,000 West Bank Palestinians who work in Israel.

Join us to hear how the current global health crisis is affecting Palestinian workers, and what we can do in solidarity, for justice and equality.

Register here for Palestinian workers webinar

SPEAKERS:
Samia Al-Botmeh, Assistant Professor in Labour Economics and the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at Birzeit University in Palestine
Abed Dari, Field Coordinator, Palestinian Workers Department, Kav LaOved – Worker’s Hotline
Mariela Kohon, Senior International Officer TUC

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