Day 3: Save our Royal Mail bus tour
Postal December 9 2015By Dave Ward, deputy general secretary Postal
I’ve never doubted the commitment of our union reps, activists and members but on Wednesday – the third day of the Save our Royal Mail bus tour of London – those joining the tour from the South West and
London regions as well as CWU HQ staff did us proud. After a full morning doing radio and broadcast interviews I jumped on board the ‘battle bus’ at Millbank tower. I could certainly hear the bus before I caught sight of it – jam packed with flags waving proudly, the vuvuzelas sounding loudly and the unmistakable bellow of John Simkins, CWU London sub divisional rep, on the PA system chanting “Royal Mail not for sale” and asking the question on everyone’s lips “Why privatise a profitable Royal Mail?” Indeed this was one of the central points made in the morning’s media interviews. On the BBC radio 4 Today programme, Doctor Steve Davies from the Institute of Economic Affairs, argued that a sale of Royal Mail will mean a worse and more expensive postal service – and he was arguing the case for privatisation! It just goes to show there really isn’t a sound, logical argument on which to base the sale of Royal Mail. And on BBC radio 5 live, the presenter told us that only one person had texted in support of privatisation out of hundreds of messages.
The short route from Millbank Tower, past Parliament and along the Embankment to Royal Mail HQ was deafening as the excitement built, reaching fever pitch as we all disembarked to be met by a media scrum of camera crews, journalists, photographers and even more reps and members from the South West and London regions. Being a busy time of
day the round-about outside the building entrance was bustling with traffic with toots of support from passing motorists – an ambulance even went so far as to give us a toot before turning the siren back on! With such a great turnout – all waving flags and chanting “Royal Mail not for sale” as we approached the entrance of the building – we caused quite a spectacle. Trying to deliver a giant postcard against the privatisation of Royal Mail proved almost too much for the security but they relented when David Gold, Royal Mail’s head of Public Affairs, came out to take delivery of the postcard.
After more interviews with the BBC, Channel 4 News, Press Association and journalists from a host of media outlets including the Financial Times right outside the front entrance to Royal Mail’s HQ it was back on the bus and over to the Gherkin. We wound our way noisily through the city centre making sure that no one was in any doubt that the sale of Royal Mail was not in the interests of the public, the postal workers and Great Britain as a whole.
Drawing up outside the Gherkin around 12:15 we were just in time to catch people milling about on their lunch break. The area around the Gherkin is quite built up with little free space so our presence was all the more effective in the melee. I managed to watch Vince Cable reading his statement out to parliament at 12:30 and then Joel Hills of Sky News jumped on board and did a live interview from the top deck of the bus, giving him immediate reaction to the statement. The footage broadcast on Sky News from that interview conveyed the frenetic spirit of those on the ‘battle bus’ but more importantly delivered the key message that the fire-sale of Royal Mail is a deeply unpopular move. I then did a live interview on the ITV lunchtime news outside the Gherkin, with the bus and campaigners waving flags in the background as a clear visual against privatisation.
With one more giant postcard to deliver, it was off to the department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) – where the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, has his office – to pick up where yesterday’s tour left off. The chants rang out “Vince Cable come to the table” as security looked on apprehensively. The postcard disappeared very quickly after it was successfully delivered through the glass doors – hopefully to take up pride of place on a wall in Vince Cable’s office.
One of the central themes of the Save our Royal Mail campaign and indeed this bus tour has been to hear from postmen and postwoman about their concerns on the privatisation debate. Our consultative ballot asked postal workers whether they supported the privatisation of Royal Mail and a resounding 96% said they didn’t. As branches across the country have taken campaigning activities to their local communities, so too has the bus tour made a point of stopping at Royal Mail offices along the way and talking to the very people who will be affected most by the sale of the company they put their heart and soul into. And what I can tell you is that even after today’s announcement by Vince Cable, postal workers remain unconvinced that the sale of Royal Mail will have any benefit for them – they are smarter than that. You only have to whisper the word ‘colleagueshare’ to get a nod of agreement from a disappointed face.
The final stop on Day 3 was Rathbone Place – a large Royal Mail site just off Oxford Street – where postal workers spilled out onto the pavement to greet us and listen to an update on privatisation and pay. Dale Lang, Royal Mail head of industrial relations, was spotted ear wigging through an open window. With all the obvious support from members and the large supportive crowd that gathered, I am sure he will have something to report back to his peers.
One final interview with ITV news, and the bus made its way past the TUC before heading back to CWU HQ in Wimbledon to prepare for another busy and successful day on the Save our Royal Mail campaign trail. Day 4 will see the Tories get the vuvuzela treatment so look out for that report later in the day. Check the itinerary below for more information on where and when the battle bus will be.
Watch Kevin Slocombe and John Colbert as they discuss the day’s activities and highlights:
If you haven’t already please sign the petition calling on Vince Cable to think again about the sale of Royal Mail.
Itinerary
A circular routewill be followed several times a day, with a different attraction focussed on each lunchtime.
|
Date |
930am – 11am |
11am – 12.00 |
12.00 – 1pm |
2pm – 3.30pm |
3.30pm – 5pm |
|
Mon 8 July |
En-route to the City via Ofcom & RM HQ |
Liverpool St Stn |
London |
UBS – EC2m 2PP |
Various routes SW London |
|
Tues 9 July |
Clapham Junction Stn |
Waterloo Stn |
Victoria Stn via Ofcom |
BIS, Victoria St |
Various routes SW London |
|
Weds 10 July |
En-route to RM HQ via Tooting & Streatham |
Deliver giant postcard to Royal Mail HQ |
“The Gherkin” 30 St Mary’s Axe Sky Live Broadcast 12.20pm |
Royal Mail Rathbone Place |
Various routes SW London |
|
Thurs 11 July |
Euston Stn |
Square Mile to Westminster via Royal Mail HQ |
Conservative Central Office 30 Millbank |
Leafleting Croydon East stn |
Various routes SW London |
|
Friday 12 July |
Kings X & St Pancras Stns |
Square Mile to Westminster |
Lib Dem HQ 8-10 Great George Street, SW1P 3AE |
Tour of Branch Stalls |
Various routes SW London |