Postal workers sold out by leadership

The BBC News website reports Dave Ward of the CWU saying the union's executive unanimously agreed to suspend the post strikes until at least the New Year. This is a hugely misguided mistake by the union leadership. It allows Royal Mail bosses and the government to re-take the initiative. Any momentum that was developing has now stalled.

How grim, too, that the vote was apparently unanimous - presumably even the most left-wing or militant representatives have fallen into line. I'm reminded of the old lesson that has always guided socialists in building grassroots, rank and file organisation: whatever differences there may be at the top (between left and right), it's the difference between bureaucracy and rank and file that is fundamental. The bureaucracy's role - mediating between bosses and workers - means they are always liable to compromise.

This is obvious with TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber, who has shown every sign of desperately wanting an end to the strikes, but there's a more subtle domino effect in the way this works. I recall Tony Cliff making this point about the General Strike of 1926: the right-wing leaders pull the left-wing leaders into a compromise, who in turn pull other forces (even the most left-wing) in the regional and local official structures into acceptance of negotiation and conciliation.

If rank and file strength isn't powerful enough, or there isn't sufficient solidarity, even the best people within the structures (socialist NEC members, local officals) can be pulled by the right wing's arguments. Cliff made the same point about the pit closures in autumn 1992: the TUC General Council ultimately won the day, through the pressure exerted via the union structures. Even left-wing leaders like Scargill compromised, rather than carrying through the kind of militant mass action from below that could have won victory.

In the case of the posties it's a terrible pity that strong enough rank and file organisation, independent of the union machine altogether, wasn't in place. This is the corrective needed to left-wingers inside the structures being pulled to the right and capitulating. It reminds us of the urgent need for renewing and building rank and file strength across the union movement - and indeed beyond, as contact with political activists and movements can enormously strengthen the capacity of trade unionists to act effectively.

Power to the posties!

Gary, a socialist activist in Sunderland reports, 'I was down on the picket line with the posties at Sunderland depot (that's me at the back holding up the Socialist Worker). We spent two hours with the strikers this morning and had a great laugh. The camaraderie is great among them. They enjoyed the chocolate and crisps we took down and several bought our paper. We'll be back next week with a cash collection.'

Photo by Ross Carbutt, who runs the NESSN website where there's more on the postal workers' strikes and solidarity with them.

Wanted: a warm Geordie welcome for Peter Mandelson

Protest at Mandelson and Miliband
Friday 23 October, 6-7pm
Bring the troops home - Jobs not Bombs - Money for public services not war
Harton Technology College, South Shields, Tyneside

At the same time as the anti-war movement gears up for a major national demo on Saturday, postal workers are taking two days of nationwide strike action. 42,000 workers are striking today, while the other 78,000 take action tomorrow. Although there were worries that CWU union leaders would compromise, it's been confirmed the strikes are going ahead. This follows a series of local strikes in recent weeks and mounting pressure from rank and file activists for a national strike.

The strike is politically, not just industrially, significant in at least three big ways. Firstly, it serves as a focus for the wider struggle to defend public services, for the myriad anti-privatisation campaigns. The strike is in part a defence of proper public service at a time when the public sector ethos is being eroded by Labour Government and Tory opposition alike.

Secondly, it raises the question of who pays for the system's crisis: bosses or workers? The strikes answer that question by affirming that workers have already given too much, and government should intervene to force the bosses to preserve jobs and conditions. Thirdly, the failure of a Labour Governement to respond to trade unionists' needs is prompting political discussion about the relationship between the unions and the Labour Party. There is a powerful mood in the CWU for radically rethinking the role it plays in the political sphere.

In Tyneside there's a great opportunity, tomorrow evening, to pull together the different issues. Stop the War has organised a protest at Peter Mandelson's visit to South Shields, when he gives the David Miliband Annual Lecture (named after the Shields MP and Foreign Secretary, who will also be in attendance). The Keep Metro Public campaign and post strike supporters are now getting on board and joining the protest - Mandelson is of course the senior Cabinet minister responsible for Royal Mail, and an arch-privatiser committed utterly to the 'modernising' agenda.

Join the protest - for more info see HERE.