I want to condemn the unprincipled attack by the CWU’s Martin Walsh on the World Socialist Website. The First thing that strikes me about Walsh’s lashing out at the WSWS.Org is that he talks like a company spokesman rather than a trade union leader.
The CWU-imposed trials in 37 offices are nothing but
a fraud designed to run offices into the ground to impose Amazon-style working
conditions. All for what a Saturday off once every blue moon. Walsh says
nothing about the fact that the Royal Mail in collusion with the CWU is
carrying out unofficial trials of new working conditions which, mimic the 37 trial
offices. Walks all over the country are being absorbed and extra walks are
being delivered by postal workers outside their normal delivery pattern.
These attacks are opposed by the World Socialist Website
and the PWRFC. They have every right to oppose the Royal Mail and CWU-led
attacks on postal workers' conditions. It is quite ironic that the CWU bureaucracy
attacks the PWRFC for calling strikes to defend working conditions. Walsh says,
“The problem is that your organisation has no responsibility at all and is free
to shout from the comfort of your anonymous positions.”. Firstly, the WSWS is
far from anonymous and has from day one exposed the treachery of the CWU and
set up the PWRFC to oppose the CWU’s betrayals.
If the World Socialist Website is so insignificant
why is the CWU so scared of it and constantly attacking it from the armchairs of
a multi-million-pound media centre? As Walsh said, “Any walkouts they won’t be
in control of will be the CWU who have to get the members a return-to-work
solution.” Well, he should get used to it because the next round of strike
action will be aimed not at Royal Mail but will challenge the control of the bureaucracy
and will be led by the PWRFC
Walsh says the “CWU have to respond to the reality of
the situation” and that there is no alternative. This is a lie.
The WSWS should not retract a single thing. As Its reply
states his “attack is a transparent damage limitation exercise to stem
rank-and-file opposition to the Terms of Reference he co-signed with Royal Mail
executives in December to ram through the pilot scheme at 37 delivery offices.”
There is an alternative, “The PWRFC has called for
workplace meetings so that CWU members can scrutinise Royal Mail’s plans for
“USO reform” and their impact on jobs, working practices and the mail service,
and agree collective action to halt these attacks. Postal workers should oppose
the pile-on by Walsh against their colleagues at Cumbernauld and defend the
democratic rights of all CWU members.”
