21 Articles by:
Dave Ward is general secretary of the Communication Workers Union.
As the Royal Mail looks set to be taken over by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, workers will mobilise to defend the service — and the communities they serve must get ready to stand with them, writes Dave Ward.
Today’s move by Royal Mail to rip up agreements with the CWU is the biggest attack on workers in a generation. If it isn’t fought, we could see the derecognition of a strong union and the fragmentation of our postal service.
Today, over 115,000 postal workers are out on strike against a real-terms pay cut. Why? It’s simple: workers will not accept their living standards corrode so CEOs can have it better than ever.
The first BT and Openreach strike since 1987 pits engineers and call centre workers, many of whom are forced to rely on foodbanks, against a massively profitable corporation – and executives who earn millions of pounds a year.
From rising bills to falling wages to the P&O scandal, the Tory government is presiding over a collapsing economy for workers – and it can only be fought by trade union organisation.
Throughout the pandemic, we have relied heavily on delivery drivers. Now we need to stop their abuse at the hands of companies raking in massive profits.
Labour’s election defeats are a symptom of a party which has forgotten its primary role – standing up for working people and defending their interests across society.
This week has seen calls in the media for Royal Mail to attack its union – but the real problem with the company isn’t the workers, it’s the lack of ambition shown by its management.
The CWU’s new football shirt – launched with the support of Show Racism the Red Card – aims to put trade unions at the front of the fight against racism not only in work but on the terraces too.
The Black Lives Matter movement doesn’t just need allies who condemn the murder of George Floyd, it needs comrades in the fight against racial injustice – and the trade union movement must rise to the challenge.
Today is National Postal Workers Day. Across Britain, thousands of posties are delivering essential services while their terms and conditions are under attack – now is the time to stand up for them.
Last month, postal workers offered to provide an emergency service to keep the country running during coronavirus. Rather than support them, Royal Mail refused to even listen to concerns over their safety.
If key workers are expected to keep our economy going during the coronavirus crisis, the least they deserve is proper protection – now is the time for the government to act.
Britain’s postal workers have offered to become an additional emergency service during the crisis: delivering food and medicine, and checking on the vulnerable. It’s time Royal Mail got behind them.
Coronavirus reminds us all how crucial it is to have a social fabric that supports communities, particularly those who are vulnerable. That’s why Britain’s posties are fighting to stop Royal Mail from destroying the universal service.
CWU General Secretary Dave Ward on why he and his union back Rebecca Long-Bailey as the best chance of avoiding ‘death by a thousand compromises.’
The CWU’s #WeRiseAgain campaign against the ‘uberisation’ of postal services is shaping up to be one of the most important industrial battles of the decade.
Technology can liberate workers — or it can be used to control them. Which path it follows will depend on the labour movement.
CWU leader Dave Ward on the lessons he learned from 40 years of trade unionism, and the bold approach the movement needs to adopt today to tackle its decline.
Five years on from privatisation, it’s time to take postal services back into public hands — and revolutionise their relationship to workers and communities.