Post Office militant sacked Story of a victimisation

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ALAN FRASER was victimised and sacked because he was a leading militant in the post office at Basingstoke. His workmates had no doubt he was being victimised and they knew the reason why. So they struck They enlisted the active support of other Basingstoke workers, who joined the picket line and raised money for the strikers.

The willingness of the workers to fight and their determination to win grew and developed as the strike continued. The Basingstoke Post Office workers could have won a clear victory. like the workers at There was no way management alone could have broken this strike.

It took the leaders of the Union of Communication Workers (UCW) to They did break the strike, bringing to this task a singlemindedness and determination that would have been better employed helping the The UCW officials turned victory into defeat by confusing, misleading and finally demobilising the striking postal workers. This was a classic case of highly paid full time union officials acting as visiting firemen for the bosses and as a scab against striking workers.

Basingstoke Socialist Organiser supporters tell the storv.

work. exhaustion broke, and as Angela The local officials, confused Fraser finally managed to reach by the sudden change, were the platform to say that if they helpless as a second vote had voted to continue they They had made the mistake of and wept openly.

Growing militancy in the Branch after the 1980 strike led to the election of Alan and Ron to their present positions. 1980-81 saw an attack on the working conditions of postal workers with the introduction of a productivity deal leading to speed-ups and job losses. This productivity deal was made nationally with the total collaboration of Branches which refused to accept the deal had visits from UCW Executive members. Basingstoke was one of the rebel branches.

The decision to reject the productivity deal and our increasing criticism of UCW leadership marked Basingstoke UCW out as an Over the last year Alan Fraser has been active as Regional Organiser for the Broad Left, and had begun to take a leading role.

Despite the Post Office claims that he was sacked because of a bad sickness record, the truth is shown by the many previous attempts they had made to victimise Alan. These 1. Forged signatures on Late Attendance slips (for which he letters behind. (Again an apology was made and put a mass picket on the Post Office.

Greenings and Michelin did recently.

break it for them.

workers who pay their wages win the strike. FOLLOWING the sacking a mass meeting of 120 immediately voted to strike, with only one vote against.

The strike began on Saturday September 3.

It was Monday before the Union of Communication Workers (UCW) Regional Office could be contacted, but pickets had already convinced Sunday night's shift to join the strike.

On Monday, Joe Payne, Regional Secretary, urged the Regional Post Office to lift the dismissal on grounds of a procedural technicality. The Regional PO couldn't comment at that stage but agreed that if there was a technical error it would back the lifting of the dismissal.

The branch had the second of what became daily mass ings, and the first strike bulletin was issued.

On Tuesday, Gerry Casey, (UCW Regional Officer); arrived. He had little knowledge of what the dispute was about, and admitted that his brief was to end the strike.

All day, three-way phone calls between Casey, the UCW National Officer John Taylor, who was at the TUC in Blackpool, and the Regional Post Office HQ built up hopes. The mass meeting that day again voted to continue the strike. he ap man being toget to ward to Wednesday, in Basingtoke. Casey told the strikers he was confident of winning.

Hospital workers, members of MBATU, had for the second lay joined the picket line, bringing with them a donation from the NHS Hardship Fund with a promise of more to come.

The picket lines remained heavily manned from 4.30 am intil after midnight.

Other Post Offices around Basingstoke were now refusing o handle Basingstoke mail and Securicor's union MATSA a section of the GMBATU)

A CAMPAIGN OF VICTIMISATION included:

later received an apology).

2. Several attempts to dismiss him on 3. Putting him on a six-day week of 5 a months.

4. Frequent mistakes in 5. Attempting to add record by changing dates.

Alan Fraser refused to cross the lines, bringing the Giro to a halt.

The spirit on the picket line was high. As the appeal was heard on Wednesday, a second bulletin was prepared.

But that confidence turned first to a sinking feeling and then anger as the appeal was bungled by Casey.

. He just went through the motions of defending Alan. He seemed-to be under pressure. Management went off to lunch giving no answer.

At 4pm the membership, having been kept waiting for three hours, were told by Casey that the appeal had failed.

He urged them to return to work and said that the only hope now was to write to the Post Office HQ, asking for Alan's job back humanitarian grounds.

The strikers denounced him for selling them out and voted again to stay on strike.

From that point on picketing became even stronger. Wednesday night's picket was 40 strong until after midnight, sustained by an enterprising hot-dog seller who stationed himself permanently on the picket line.

Hopes were raised yet again on Thursday with the news that Taylor was coming ön Friday, having persuaded Regional PO charges of leaving to him). um. starts wage packets. two days more on last year's sick management to hear the second appeal in Basingstoke.

At lunchtime £64 was delivered to the picket line from the GMBATU who had organised pay queue collections at the hospital.

Now Taylor made a firm promise to Alan that if he didn't get his job back, he would escalate the strike.

Alan and UCW Branch Secretary Ron Rodwell were left outside while three union officers, Taylor, Payne and Casey negotiated.

Alan told Taylor the bottom line as far as he was concerned was a temporary transfer, with guaranteed return to Basingstoke. The top line was immediate reinstatement in the Basing" stoke office.

Useless After three or four hours of negotiations, Taylor came back with useless formulas.

Taylor phoned three different Regions, asking them to take Alan and was refused. Then Taylor insisted that Alan should take a £6,000 pay off, which was all the management would offer.

Alan's refusal to take thé money infuriated Taylor. he asked Angela Fraser, Alan's wife, (and also an SO supporter) to persuade him to take the money. She told them to stuff it.

By the time the mass meeting took place Tayor had hardened against escalating the action. He forgot his promises - if he had ever meant them.

Although the strikers wanted the hospital workers and SO supporters in the meeting, Taylor wanted to clear any witnesses out of the way before the massacre and insisted that they, and the delegation from Croydon UCW, be excluded.

Even then the postmen voted to continue the action.

Taylor, who at the start of the day had said he would escalate the strike, put an end to that by claiming that the majority was not enough. It was the end of the road and they had to return to narrowly overturned the first.

believing Taylor was willing to fight with them and they were won. unprepared for this treachery.

THE BROAD LEFT the union.

opposition branch.

WHAT LESSONS have Basingstoke postmen learned from the fight to reinstate Alan Fraser? We asked five of them to tell us. Alan Bryant [postman].

"I believe that the real reason for the sacking was not Alan's sick record but because Alan Fraser was an effective trade union official who had fought to "In my opinion the whole of the membership in Basingstoke have recognised that Alan was victimised by the Post Office for carrying out our democratic wishes.

Ron Rodwell [Branch Secretary ] "The strength and solidarity shown by our members during the week of the dispute was in direct contrast to shameful goings-on by the union leaderships at the TUC conference. If the UCW leadership had shown the same spirit as our members I believe Alan would have kept his job.

"I am sure our members will learn a number of lessons from this dispute, especially the fact that we must not have an isolated leadership of two or three individuals who can then be picked off by a ruthless management.

"I believe that this struggle will lead to a strengthening of the rank and file, and the determination to make sure that this The branch: 'growing militancy after 1980.

Emotion, frustration and would win, many broke down They knew we could have type of victimisation will never be allowed to happen again." Brian Reeder [postman].

"It is clear to me that our members were prepared to take action against a blatant victimisation whereas our union leadership at a national level had no desire to take the action further. I am sure all members in any future disputes can rely on our own strength and not union bureaucracy. We feel we have been sold out."

Brian Lowe [postman].

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create a vast improvement in our members' working conditions.