CWU sends out warning over UK Royal Mail ‘privatisation’ plan

The Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) deputy general secretary, Dave Ward, has written to Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton calling for ‘straight talking’ about his role in a rumoured ‘privatisation’ plan for Royal Mail.

Royal Mail is considering a plan to sell part of its postal business to its own employees amid fears of a government push to privatise the industry.

Leighton is also planning to borrow money from banks in an attempt to inject billions of pounds in private funds into the postal service. Part of this money will go towards a rise in basic pay rate from GBP300 to GBP400 a week for delivery and sorting staff.

Ward said: “We have suspected for some time that senior government officials and Royal Mail business leaders have engaged in a plan to carve up the business. This probably explains why there has been 100 per cent focus on financial recovery and zero per cent focus on quality of service.”

The CWU has warned that it would not allow Labour to get to the election without assurances that Royal Mail would remain a public service.