Who are we?
We are the
Bournemouth & Dorset Amal Branch of the Communication Workers Union (CWU).
The CWU is the biggest union for workers in the communications industry in
the UK with 207,500 members. It was formed in January 1995 when the Union
of Communication Workers joined forces with the National Communications
Union.
Our
members
CWU members work in the Post
Office, BT and other telephone companies, cable TV, Accenture HR Services,
the Alliance and Leicester and Girobank. Our members' expertise includes
engineering, computing, clerical, mechanical, driving, retail, financial
and manual skills.
The
union's values
The CWU's Statement of Values aims:
-
to provide first class collective and individual representation for all
CWU members;
-
to achieve security of employment for all members;
-
to offer individual membership services of the highest quality;
-
to expand trade union membership throughout the communications industry;
-
to promote, by industrial and political means, the success of the
industries in which our members work;
-
to campaign against all forms of discrimination;
-
to further these objectives by promoting the influence of the union
throughout the national and international community.
The
structure of the union
The union's first duty and
responsibility is to protect and promote the interests of its members in
the workplace. Reflecting a model democratic structure, every CWU member
belongs to one of the union's branches. The Bournemouth & Dorset Amal
Branch is just one of these branches. Every branch elects delegates to,
and determines policies to be debated at, the Annual Conference which
determines the policies of the union on both industrial and general
issues. Between Conferences, the union's National Executive Council (NEC)
is responsible for policy decisions. The NEC is elected each year by
individual postal ballot. Its division into five constituencies ensures
that all industrial and occupational backgrounds have a voice. The
constituencies are clerical, engineering, operator and ancillary, postal
and postal technical services.
The NEC deals with all
issues of a general nature, such as organisation, recruitment, finances
and services. For occupational issues, it divides into two industrial
executives, one for telecoms and financial services, and the other for
postal issues.
The union has a number of
advisory committees, mainly consisting of ordinary branch members. These
are to ensure that the needs of women, ethnic minorities, retired members,
young people, lesbians and gays and those with disabilities and special
needs are brought to the attention of the executive.
The union is affiliated
to the Trades Union Congress, the Scottish Trades Union Congress, the
Wales TUC, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Labour Party, UNI
Global Union and other organisations as determined by annual conference.
The
union's national campaigns
The union's main
campaigning priorities have been aimed at securing:
-
The Post Office secure in public hands, intent on developing Crown
Office Counter services and affordable, reliable and universally priced
mail and parcel delivery;
-
universal access to the social and individual benefits of the most
advanced information superhighway for the UK - which will give all our
society the ability to benefit from our latest technology;
- a
modern communications network which will guarantee a buoyant financial
and commercial infrastructure for the UK.
Within these objectives,
the union aims to ensure not only the provision of efficient, integrated
and affordable communication services for the UK - but also safe, secure
and well rewarded employment for all CWU members.
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