An Post - Vote YES for action

Socialist Party leaflet - Available as a PDF here

Pay up with no strings attached

Today’s special conference is an opportunity to launch a real campaign to get postal workers their pay deal without strings attached. Despite partial payment of the national wage agreement the labour court offer reinforces management’s plan to blackmail postal workers into accepting the collection and delivery deal.

The CWU executive is absolutely correct to reject the labour court report that continues to link the payment of the national wage agreement to the collection and delivery deal.

Collection and Delivery

The management are extremely anxious to get the collection and delivery deal accepted because it will lower the terms and conditions of the grades involved. This is Curtin’s first negotiation on pay and productivity and he is determined to set a standard for all staff in the company. If he gets his way then the wages and conditions of all staff will be under threat.

Take-home pay under threat

The labour court deal focuses on eliminating overtime and will dramatically reduce the take-home pay of all staff (e.g. close routes and offices, cease covering sick leave and 6/7 day liability). However the maximum basic for a postperson is €463 a week and is woefully inadequate as a take-home pay. The average industrial wage in Ireland is €600 a week and the maximum basic with productivity allowances of a POC and Clerical officer is over €600. In the past the unions focused on achieving increases in allowances and overtime to compensate for the low basic rate. The labour court deal will undermine all of these previous increases.

Boost the basic

It is essential that any deal needs to drastically increase postal workers basic wage. Similar to the deal agreed in the DMC and the POCs. Large increases in the basic wage have been the norm in semi-state companies to compensate for reductions in overtime. This should be the demand for the workers involved in the collection and delivery it is realistic and achievable.

Time for action

The Socialist Party argued against going to the Labour Court, as it would inevitably side with management. Instead we argued that the successful strike and demonstration of last December should have been used to launch a campaign of industrial action including strike action to force An Post management to pay up with no strings attached. It is not too late. There is a mood of anger and determination amongst postal workers to take on management and stop their plans to seriously erode our pay and conditions. A new campaign of industrial action involving all of the postal unions should be launched from today’s conference. As a first step in the campaign shopfloor meetings should be held nationally to involve the members in organising a campaign of industrial action.

Workers wages and conditions are under assault across the country. ESB workers have been on strike against the use of private contractors and the threat to sack 500 apprentices. Irish Ferries plan to make 545 staff redundant and to replace them with migrant workers earning only €3 an hour! The time for the unions to abandon partnership is long overdue. We need unions that are prepared to stand up and fight for their members. The time for talking is over now is the time for action.

The Socialist Party is organising to transform our trade unions from being tame partners of the government and big business into fighting organisations that stand up to management’s attacks. Contact Terry Kelleher who is a worker director in An Post and Socialist Party member to find out more about our work and ideas at 087 2857665.

The Socialist Party calls for:

- A series of "shopfloor" meetings should be held nationally to discuss a strategy for industrial action.

- The immediate payment of sustaining progress to all postal staff including all monies backdated with no strings attached.

- The introduction of a basic wage for postal workers of €600 a week as a first step towards a decent living wage.

- The reversal of all cutbacks in postal workers jobs conditions and services.

- For the government to pay an annual subvention to An Post to fund it’s social obligation.