{"id":2896,"date":"2022-08-24T17:50:43","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T15:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uni-europa.org\/news\/cwustrikesacrossuk\/"},"modified":"2022-08-24T18:25:48","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T16:25:48","slug":"cwustrikesacrossuk","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.uni-europa.org\/news\/cwustrikesacrossuk\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 170,000 CWU members to strike in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

In what UNI affiliate the CWU promises to be \u201ca hell of a week<\/a>,\u201d more than 170,000 workers across the United Kingdom are going on strike.<\/p>\n

The workers\u2014employed by telecoms giant BT, its subsidiary OpenReach, the Post Office and the Royal Mail Group\u2014showed an overwhelming amount of support for industrial action, and they will be on picket lines in \u201cevery town and city in the UK\u201d demanding wages that allow them to main a decent quality of life in the midst of skyrocketing inflation.<\/p>\n

At BT and Openreach, CWU members first walked off the job 29 July and 1 August<\/a> for the first time in 35 years after negotiations failed to get a pay rise that would compensate for a spike in the cost of living. The company imposed an annual \u00a31,500 increase without consulting the union. This change would, in fact, be a dramatic real-terms pay cut when compared to inflation levels of over 11 per cent in the country\u2014that could reach 18.6 per cent<\/a> by year\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

This effective pay cut comes as BT made \u00a31.3 billion in annual profit, and its CEO Philip Jansen gained a fat \u00a33.5 million pay package\u2014a 32 per cent wage increase\u2014while BT offices have reportedly established food banks to assist employees.<\/p>\n

The next round of strikes at BT will start 30 August. The workers have received letters of support from unions in the United States, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, Italy and beyond.<\/p>\n

CWU Deputy General Secretary and Global President of UNI\u2019s ICT & Related Services sector Andy Kerr<\/strong> said, \u201cWe\u2019re still hoping to get BT back round the table for serious negotiations, but as things stand it has sadly become clear that simply isn\u2019t going to happen unless we take further action\u2026so that\u2019s precisely what we\u2019re going to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

BT\u2019s imposed pay rise is simply unacceptable, and nowhere near the current rate of inflation. pic.twitter.com\/xIbjyL1kz3<\/a><\/p>\n

— The CWU (@CWUnews) August 24, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With three previous rounds of strike actions with more scheduled for 26-27 August, the Post Office increased its offered pay rise from 3 to 5 per cent this week<\/a>. The union has made clear that more is needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a step in the right direction, but it\u2019s still less than half the rate of inflation,\u201d said CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey. <\/strong>\u201cWe\u2019re encouraged by this improved pay offer and it\u2019s our hope that, in the talks next week, we can move further towards a fair and reasonable pay agreement \u2013 not only for 2022\/23, but for 2021\/22 as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the Royal Mail Group, there is a similar story of an employer not recognizing workers\u2019 contributions by putting forward a pay offer that pays \u201cyesterday\u2019s wages for today\u2019s prices\u201d and erodes working conditions.<\/p>\n

CWU General Secretary and President of UNI Post & Logistics Dave Ward<\/strong> said,\u00a0\u201cTheir strategy is not \u2018modernization\u2019 it\u2019s a levelling down. But you can\u2019t run a business by putting workers at the bottom of the pile. This union has never faced away from change \u2013 but the Royal Mail Board must recognize that if they want to build the future of Royal Mail, they\u2019ve got to get behind the workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Standing with your postal worker? Print and put this on your letterbox on strike days.#StandByYourPost<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/IFE1MM7PG9<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/XIO5HhYbHc<\/a><\/p>\n

— The CWU (@CWUnews) August 22, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

UNI Global Union General Secretary Christy Hoffman<\/strong> said, \u201cWorkers did not cause this cost-of-living crisis, and they should not bear the brunt of it either. CWU members\u2014not top management or shareholders\u2014kept BT, Openreach, the Royal Mail and the Post Office running during the pandemic, and now they are standing together to overcome another emergency\u2014rising prices and falling real wages. Their fight for decent pay is the fight of so many other workers around the world, and we stand with them in solidarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

We go. pic.twitter.com\/yK1S4LGuf8<\/a><\/p>\n

— The CWU (@CWUnews) August 20, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In what UNI affiliate the CWU promises to be \u201ca hell of a week,\u201d more than 170,000 workers across the United Kingdom are going on strike. The workers\u2014employed by telecoms giant BT, its subsidiary OpenReach, the Post Office and the Royal Mail Group\u2014showed an overwhelming amount of support for industrial action, and they will be<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2897,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[],"topics":[],"sectors":[26,28],"projects":[],"cross-sector-groups":[],"workers-rights":[],"global-issues":[],"regions":[98],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMore than 170,000 CWU members to strike in the UK - UNI Europa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"More than 170,000 CWU members will strike across the UK--at BT, the Royal Mail and the Post Office. 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