Political Agenda
A) POSTAL
ISSUES
1. Local Level
* MLO closures
We have lobbied local authorities and local MPs in respect of Royal
Mail's wish to close or re-locate certain mechanised letter
offices (MLOs), notably - where we were successful - Dartford and
Liverpool.
* Crown Office conversions
Together with local consumer and interest groups, we have run local
campaigns against the proposal by Post Office Counters Limited to
convert certain Crown offices into franchised offices.
2. National Level
* Ownership & control of Post Office
We ran a major campaign around the Labour
Government's review of the Post Office, successfully preventing
any privatisation of the Post Office but instead providing the Post
Office with much more commercial freedom. This campaign involved
the submission of both written and oral evidence to both the
Department of Trade & Industry and the House of Commons Select
Committee on Trade & Industry. Furthermore, the General
Secretary and the Head of Research had a series of private meetings
with no less than 10 members of the Cabinet plus members of the No.
10 Policy Unit and the No 10 Political Unit.
* Regulatory Decisions
Since 2000, there has been a regulatory agency for
posts, called the Postal Services Commission or Postcomm, and a
consumer watchdog body called the Consumer Council for Postal
Services or Postwatch. We have already made representations to
these bodies on the licence for Royal Mail - and the extent of
competition to be faced by Royal Mail. Future issues for
representations will include the pricing levels of and price
controls on Royal Mail and more specific proposals for the domestic
liberalisation of postal services.
* Crown Office conversions
We successfully persuaded the incoming Labour
Government to impose a moratorium on any further Crown office
conversations pending a review to which we made a major written
submission. Although the Government subsequently lifted the
moratorium, we successfully managed to introduce a limit to the
franchising process which will ensure that 15% of POCL's
business remains within Crown offices.
* Quadrant joint venture
When the Government approved Royal Mail's proposal that
Quadrant should become a joint venture, we had a series of meetings
with the relevant Minister to ensure the maximum protection for the
terms and conditions of our members involved.
* Control of animals
We have had long-running discussions with Members of Parliament
about the scheme for ensuring that rabies is kept out of the
country and we lobbied in respect of the move from a quarantine
system to a 'pet passport' system.
3. European Level
* Liberalisation programme
We had a series of meetings with officials of the
European Commission and members of the European Parliament over the
Green Paper and then the Directive in respect of the liberalisation
of European postal services. Currently we are working hard to
prevent the next stage of liberalisation from being excessive.
* Terminal dues agreement
Most European postal administrations - including the British Post
Office - have reached an agreement on a new system of terminal dues
which are payments made by postal administrations to each other for
carrying each other's international mail. Since our Post Office
is a net exporter of mail, we stand to lose from the current
agreement and therefore have made a written submission to the
European Commission.
4. Global Level
* UPU work
The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is the official UN
agency for co-ordinating the activities of all national postal
administrations and has a full-scale congress every five years. The
last congress was held in 1999 in Beijing. Together with Union
Network International (UNI), we endeavour to ensure that there is a
trade union viewpoint on the major issues for debate.
* ILO work
The International Labour Organisation is the official UN agency for
the promotion of good labour relations throughout the world and
every five years holds a sectoral conference devoted particularly
to the postal industry. The CWU usually provides a member of the
Union Network International (UNI) team at this event.
B) TELECOMMUNICATIONS ISSUES
1. Local Level
* Siting of antennae
Together with local community groups, on occasions we run local
campaigns against the inappropriate siting of tall or conspicuous
microwave or radio antennae.
* Laying of cable
On occasions, we have had to make local representations
in respect of laying of cable by local cable television operators
where this activity has caused damage to pavements or trees.
* Regional infrastructure
Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales now all have devolved
authorities which exercise powers over economic and social matters
previously exercised by the national parliament. One of the major
issues we are discussing with these new authorities is the
telecommunications infrastructure in these particular parts of the
United Kingdom.
2. National Level
* Government policy
We regularly hold meetings with Government Ministers and Whitehall
officials in order to lobby on particular aspects of Government
policy which impact on BT and telecommunications more widely. In
the last few years, issues of particular concern have included the
ban on BT carrying broadcasting on its telecommunications network
(the so-called asymmetry rule), the campaign on BT purchasing the
40% of Cellnet which it did not previously own, and the impact of
the high auction price of BT's 3G mobile licence. Currently a
major issue is the legislative implementation of the Communications
White Paper which proposes a new agency body called the Office of
Communications (Ofcom).
* Regulatory decisions
The Government appoints a Director General of Telecommunications
whose decisions have a major impact on BT. We make written
submissions on most Oftel inquiries, notably the regular reviews of
the BT price cap. Currently our major concern revolves around local
loop unbundling which provides access by competitors to BT's
local lines and local exchanges. Another regulatory issue of
current debate is how best to co-ordinate the regulation of
telecommunications and broadcasting at a time when both services
are becoming increasingly digital and more and more converged.
* Information society issues
We regularly meet Government Ministers and Whitehall
officials to discuss a range of issues concerning the promotion of
the information superhighway and the development of the information
society. These issues cover everything from encryption techniques
to intellectual property rights to the National Grid for
Learning.
3. European Level
* Liberalisation programme
Over a period of years, we have made representations to
the European Commission over the opening up to competition of
telecommunications markets throughout the European Union.
* Information society issues
The European Commission is promoting a range of
initiatives designed to speed up the use of IT throughout the
European Union, and we have been in dialogue with relevant
officials over a whole host of issues such as the regulation of
convergence, the protection of copyright, teleworking and the
promotion of employment opportunities.
4. Global Level
* ITU work
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is the official UN
agency for the promotion of telecommunications standards throughout
the world. On occasions, we have had to put views on important
initiatives, such as promotion of infrastructure in underdeveloped
countries.
* ILO work
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is the
official UN agency for the promotion of good labour relations
throughout the world and every five years holds a sectoral
conference devoted particularly to the telecommunications industry.
The CWU usually provides a member of the Union Network
International (UNI) team at this event.
* OECD work
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
represents the 28 most industrialised countries of the world and it
takes a particular interest in telecommunications and information
technology since these are major sectors for growth. The CWU
sometimes represents the Trade Union Advisory Committee of the OECD
on the Telecommunications Working Party.
C) GENERAL ISSUES
1. Local Level
* Crime & social exclusion
Locally, we have to take an interest in levels of crime
and urban deprivation, since postal delivery staff and
telecommunications technicians are required to visit virtually all
homes in the country including those in areas where personal
assault is a continuing risk.
* Transport & environment
We have to take an interest in local transport
arrangements and the quality of the local environment - especially
in London - since this impacts on the working and personal lives of
our members.
2. National Level
* Economic policy
The economic policy of the Government affects our
members directly in the impact on the purchasing power of their
wages and indirectly since the growth of both posts and
telecommunications is closely related to the state of the national
economy.
* Employment law
The Government's proposals for new fairness at work
legislation impact on our members in a whole series of ways
including organising and recruitment, balloting procedures, and
maternity and parental leave. Therefore we have had discussions
with Ministers and officials and lobbied on the Employment
Relations Bill.
* Education & training
Our members are affected by the Government's policy in respect
of further education and vocational training and we are actively
involved in the debate around the development of life-long
learning, including the National Grid for Learning and the
University of Industry.
* Pensions
Both the BT and Post Office pensions schemes have been impacted by
recent budgetary decisions and more generally the Government's
pensions policy impacts, if not so much on our members themselves,
their partners and families.
* Health & safety
The resources which the Government makes available to the Health
& Safety Executive has an impact on the frequency with which
inspectors can visit Post Office and BT sites and the quality of
the support service to our union safety representatives.
* Transport & environment
The Government's policy for integrating transport systems and
cleaning up the environment all have a significant impact on the
quality of our members' lives both at home and at work.
* Equal opportunities
We regularly have occasion to lobby the Government or
the appropriate agency in respect of racial and gender
discrimination and discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation and disability.
* Electoral reform
Any proposed reform of our current electoral system would impact on
the current links between the Labour Party and the trade union
movement and therefore we have to have a view on proposals such as
those from the Jenkins Commission.
3. European Level
* European monetary union
The trade union movement needs to make clear its view
on whether and, if so when, the United Kingdom should enter
European Monetary Union and the implications for working
people.
* Works councils
Some of our members have been impacted by the European Directive on
Works Councils since, although the UK opted out of the Social
Chapter under the Conservative Government, BT and some other
companies where we have members have chosen voluntarily to
introduce such councils.
* Working time
The European Working Time Directive is affecting all of our members
but in very different ways which depend on their traditional work
patterns.
* Health & safety
In recent years, the European Commission has enacted a
whole series of Directives on health & safety and the detailed
implementation of these has required very active involvement by the
trade union movement.
* Racism & xenophobia
The European Commission is seeking to combat racism and
xenophobia throughout Europe and we have actively supported
relevant campaigns and initiatives.
4. Global Level
* WTO Work
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is currently
promoting a new far reaching General Agreement on Trade in Services
(GATS) which will impact on some 160 services. These include the
services - posts, telecommunications and finance - in which the
majority of our members work.
* ILO work
Besides the work of the International Labour
Organisation (ILO) in the specific areas of posts and
telecommunications, we have supported the more general work of the
ILO in areas such as minimum labour standards for conduct by
multinational corporations.
* World economic order
Although our influence is obviously marginal, we have to take an
interest in the state of the global economy since this affects our
domestic economy and impacts on the overseas activities of BT and
the Post Office.
* Poverty & discrimination
The nature of trade unions is such that we will always
wish to support campaigns and initiatives designed to alleviate
poverty and racial discrimination wherever these evils arise
throughout our interdependent world.
CONCLUSION
As will be seen, the range of issues on which we
could intervene politically is enormous. The Union's National
and International Policy Committee decides the priorities for our
lobbying work and the Union's Political Fund Management
Committee is responsible for allocating the appropriate funds and
managing relations with the Labour Party at all levels.
Enquiries to the General Secretary's Office, c/o:
info@cwu.org
