Merseyside post strike vote over sackings + Amazon Coventry + FE strikes

October 31, 2023 –
From Socialist Worker (UK)

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Postal workers in the CWU fought in 2022, now their bosses are taking revenge (Picture: Guy Smallman)

Merseyside postal workers have voted to strike over outrageous sackings.

It follows the dismissal of four workers at Prenton delivery office in the Wirral for taking a tea break.

Workers in the CWU union voted 96 percent for action on a 71 percent turnout.

Royal Mail had originally suspended 11 delivery workers in July for taking their tea breaks at local pubs.

None had been drinking alcohol, as confirmed by other customers.

A CWU spokesperson said, “The result is a clear demonstration of the anger workers feel about this petty, vindictive attack on their respected colleagues.”

But action has been a long time coming.

It would have been much better to have had an immediate walkout over these sackings.

And hard-hitting action needs to start immediately at Prenton—and then spread to other offices.

Dozens of colleges set to strike together on 14 November

Workers at 30 colleges across England in the UCU union plan to strike together for three days beginning on Tuesday 14 November.

The strike is over pay and working conditions and a commitment to binding national pay negotiations.

It comes after an overwhelming 90 percent of voting members backed the action.

UCU is demanding a pay offer in excess of RPI inflation, a national workload agreement and a new negotiating settlement for FE.

Employers’ representative, the Association of Colleges (AoC), has recommended a pay uplift of 6.5 percent.

But colleges do not have to follow it, and many have failed to do so in previous pay rounds. That’s why a new system is needed.

For a full list of the colleges set to strike from 14 November go here

Amazon Coventry workers are set for new pay action

Over 1,000 Amazon workers plan to walk out at a fulfilment centre in Coventry on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of next week.

They also plan to strike on 24 November, Black Friday, one of the busiest and most stressful days for Amazon workers.

Workers at the factory are furious that Amazon bosses offered them only a £1 an hour pay rise.

This has been especially infuriating to workers after they found out that Amazon’s profits have almost tripled in the last financial quarter.

The proposed pay rise is only 50p more than the offer brought to workers last year that prompted some of them to go on an inspiring wildcat unofficial strike.

Since then, workers at the BHX1 fulfilment centre have struck for almost 30 days, recruiting hundreds of workers to the GMB union and holding mass picket lines.

Now the strikes must spread.

While shutting down the BHX1 fulfilment centre does have a considerable impact on distribution, if workers at different warehouses strike together, they could shut down operations across Britain entirely.