Leighton in new clash with CWU
ALLAN LEIGHTON, chairman of the postal group Consignia, has ignited a new row with union leaders after refusing to allow union representatives paid time off to attend their annual conference and withdrawing all facilities for them at work.
The clash has triggered a halt in key talks aimed at implementing changes to mail deliveries and caused postal managers to be thrown out of this week’s Communication Workers Union conference in Blackpool. It also prompted some calls from union representatives for the union to withdraw from key industrial relations agreements set out by last year’s Sawyer report.
John Keggie, deputy general secretary of the CWU, said: “This is a disgraceful way for a modern employer to behave. A short while ago they got Pounds 50,000 of TUC money for partnership work and then they go and do this.” Consignia has funded union activities for more than 20 years. The decision to withdraw support comes after a letter from Mr Leighton to all 160,000 postal workers saying that he was “hacked off” with prolonged negotiations between unions and managers to begin the overhaul of Consignia, including 30,000 job losses.
The latest dispute comes ahead of a national ballot for industrial action next week over Consignia’s plans to outsource its cleaning and maintenance operation.
Postal managers, who were attending the CWU conference as observers, were told to leave by Mr Keggie after it emerged that two union representatives were also told that they would lose their jobs if they went to the conference, even in their own time. Mr Keggie’s action was met with a standing ovation from the 1,200 postal delegates.
The CWU yesterday formally voted to reduce donations to Labour to a “minimum” in what one delegate described as a warning of a “political iceberg” to Tony Blair.
(c) Times Newspapers Ltd, 2002
