KEEP THE POST PUBLIC

The coalition Government announced changes to the Postal Services bill, this would allow the Con/Dem coalition Government to privatise 100% of Royal Mail and separate part of the services from the Post Office Network. The Branch has been active in making the union’s position clear and the reasons why it is imperative that Royal Mail should remain in the public sector and our slogan demonstrates “Keep the Post Public”

Demonstration outside the Business Innovation & Skills offices, Westminster, London

The Postal Services Bill was presented to Parliament on 13 October 2010 and on 27 October 2010 the House of Commons debated the main principles of the Bill. I attended the House of Commons on that day with other officials from Branch to lobby the MP’s, the afternoon was very positive where we had the opportunity to speak to a number of MP’s and those MP’s who sit on the opposition side of the Governments benches were fully supportive of the union’s campaign. The Union organised a rally in Westminster on 15 December 2010, the Branch was represented where 600 CWU members listened to various speakers which included the Shadow Business Secretary John Denham and from the Green Party MP Caroline Lucas also various speakers from the UNITE, GMB unions, Ken Livingstone, Candidate for the Mayor of London (2012), Dot Gibson from the National Pensioners Convention and many more speakers attended in support of “Keep the Post Public”  We then marched onto the Department for Business Innovation & Skills Offices in Victoria Street to hand in the specially designed post cards addressed to Vince Cable the Business Secretary in the Coalition Government.

The third reading of the Postal Services Bill will be heard on 12 January 2011, during 2011 there will be many more rallies and lobby of Parliament as it is important the CWU defeat any attempt by the Coalition Government to Privatise Royal Mail. We need the support of our members to write to their MP’s and campaign to “Keep the Post Public”.