Labour Party conference supports CWU
30th September 2009
Conference delegates today (Wednesday) unanimously backed our
union's call on the government to take immediate steps to take
responsibility for the Royal Mail pensions deficit.
Moving an emergency resolution to conference, CWU general secretary
Billy Hayes said: "Postal workers have already been through
large-scale modernisation - in the last five years, there have been
some 60,000 job losses.
"But there must be an agreed approach to modernisation in the
future and resolving the pensions deficit will assist in reaching
such an agreement.
"A major factor in creating the current pensions deficit was
the 13-year contributions holiday by the employer and government,
as the sole shareholder, has the obligation and the responsibility
to resolve it," Billy added.
"Postal workers deliver to all 22 million addresses in the UK
six days a week - now they need pensions delivered for them."
Seconding the motion, Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley
told delegates that the "British public believe in a public
postal service - and postwomen and postmen deserve to be able to
retire with dignity and security."
Also speaking in support of the resolution were Mitcham and Morden
Constituency Labour Party (CLP) delegate Stan Anderson and Battle
CLP's Gill Sones.
Stan Anderson told conference that he had worked as a postman for
over 40 years and that he was determined to receive the pension
that he had worked for and been promised.
And he brought laughter from the audience when he turned to the
platform and told party leaders: "I've befriended some
dangerous dogs during my working life and if you don't sort out
my pension, I'll send them all round to you."
Gill Sones said that her husband had been a postal worker for all
of his working life and had been due to retire today but could not
afford to.
"It's the government's responsibility," she
insisted, adding: "postal workers have accepted change after
change and they continue to deliver the post. Now the government
must deliver for them on pensions."
