Victory to the CWU: A fight for us all

Since its earliest beginnings in 1516, the Royal Mail has been ever-present in British and indeed global communications. Across the length and breadth of these islands, it is amongst the most trusted of brands and its employees - the cherished postie - are almost universally one of the most well-kent faces in each community.

It’s no wonder our posties are held in such high regard. Often they can be the first face we see in the morning and for some, it may be the only person they see that day, particularly in Scotland’s rural and more isolated communities. They bring us the letters and parcels that connect us with distant friends and family and we forgive them for bringing the occasional bill too. Throughout COVID they put themselves at risk, quite literally going out into the unknown while we stayed sheltered for safety. Come rain or shine - and let’s face it, it's more likely to be rain - the posties always deliver.

But despite the respect for and reliance on our Royal Mail and our postal workers, there are a small but significant group of people who are trying to end this essential pillar of our lives - the Royal Mail bosses. They have been waging war on their employees, trying to turn the service into another budget gig economy courier which forces its ‘workers’ into bogus self-employment.

So out with Postman Pat from our communities, to be left with just another cut-price, cutthroat ‘chap-door-run-away’ delivery company. Such a move would deliberately strip postal workers of hard-won rights leaving them with virtually no sick pay, no holiday pay nor any meaningful employment protections - all in the pursuit of shareholder profit.

Thankfully, the posties and their union - the Communication Workers Union (CWU) - have been resolute in fighting back against these plans, with ongoing industrial action throughout much of 2022. Such is their will to defend their jobs and our postal service that the CWU is now re-balloting members for further action in 2023.

At UNITY Consulting we are delighted to have started working with the CWU in Scotland to support their work representing members in the postal sector and beyond. This has included helping establish the union’s first Scottish Parliamentary Group, providing bespoke social media content, and press support as well as working with the union to deliver the largest postal worker demonstration Scotland has seen in a generation.

Working with the CWU at such a crucial time for its members is a privilege for UNITY Consulting and we should all recognise the historic fight our posties face - almost unparalleled since the miners’ strike where a workforce has to defend an entire public service which has been targeted for elimination.

Quite simply, the plans from Royal Mail bosses pose the greatest challenge to Royal Mail’s very existence since its earliest inception in 1516. And to put that into context so far Royal Mail has survived: Henry VIII (and each of his wives); the reformation; the Plague; the Long Parliament;t the First English Civil War; the Second English Civil War; the Great Fire of London; the Jacobite Rising; the American Revolutionary war with Britain; the Napoleonic Wars; the Insanity of George III; Smallpox; Black Friday; the Boer War; the First World War; Spanish Flu; the abdication; the Second World War; Thatcherism; Blairism; Y2K; The Global Financial Crisis and COVID; the workforce has even ensured it survived privatisation.

This is a fight for all of us, and one in which we at UNITY are proud to be involved, supporting all postal workers and their union.

VICTORY TO THE CWU!