Leftwinger wins union's top job

Leftwinger wins union’s top job

BY CHRISTINE BUCKLEY

A LEFTWINGER is to become the new leader of the Communication Workers Union, triggering expectations of more clashes with the postal managers.
Billy Hayes, 47, clinched the general secretary’s post yesterday after beating John Keggie, the deputy general secretary, who had been tipped to win. His victory is being seen as a vote against moves by the union to support radical changes in working practices to make postal workers more flexible.

Mr Hayes immediately signalled that the union’s regions, which often stage unofficial actions, would get more power. He said: “We need to lecture less and hear more about the real impact of management’s policies. Stirring up apathy is not an option.” He supports more decentralisation of the union’s structure.

The CWU leadership has traditionally faced criticism from its 222,000-strong members for becoming too close to national postal managers.

Mr Keggie, regarded as a firebrand in his early union career, had difficulty in winning backing for “The Way Forward”, the Post Office’s attempt to improve productivity by changes to working arrangements such as greater team-working.

Mr Keggie and Derek Hodgson, the current general secretary, had been two of the biggest thorns in the side of Alan Johnson, the previous general secretary and now Minister responsible for the Post Office.