On the Royal Mail picket line in Halifax - Big Issue North magazine

Not since the 1980s has there been such a strike wave as over the last few months. Back then industrial action by, amongst others, steelworkers, miners, printers and dockers was unsuccessful and failed to prevent a massive loss of jobs and the ongoing destruction of key industries.

Trade union membership, which had risen to 13 million in the 1970s on the back of successful strikes that included the miners’, whose action in 1974 brought down the Ted Heath government, and building workers’, whose strike in 1972 won the largest single rise ever in their industry collapsed in many sectors of the economy. It is today around 6.5 million. This is under a quarter of the workforce and most of these members work in the public sector, where only at the start of the Conservative-Liberal Democratic coalition government (2010-15) did any significant strike action take place when over 2 million withdrew their labour in an unsuccessful attempt to protect their pensions.

Despite many years of austerity since 2008 onwards plus the growth of the Labour Party left under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership between 2015 and 2019 the number of strikes, which, with very few exceptions in the UK are the result of trade union activity, remained low. Where trade unions are recognised in the private sector they have sought to partner with management to maintain profits in order to secure pay rises and retain jobs.

All of which means most workers have never contemplated, never mind taken strike action. This has changed dramatically as trade unionists, desperate to avoid being plunged into poverty as a result of a rapid rise in the cost of living in everyday basic necessities and facing stark rises in energy bills, across significant sections of the economy are being pushed to reveal their economic strength by withdrawing their labour.

There is ongoing action by RMT - and other rail unions - and CWU members at the Royal Mail, which made a £726mliion profit during the pandemic last year when online deliveries soared, over pay and job security. Dockworkers at Felixstowe, where profits of £61 million were recorded in 2020 and which has been strike free since 1989, walked out in a pay battle in August for eight days. Edinburgh bin workers took action during the annual festival in Scotland’s capital city. Reach PLC, which publishes the Daily Mirror and Express, took action in a dispute over pay.

There have been numerous actions on the buses and UNITE, Britain’s biggest union in the private sector, where many companies have recorded record profits, is supporting under Sharon Graham’s leadership, dozens of strikes by their members. Strikers have been winning pay rises close and, in some cases, exceeding the rate of inflation. The Community union was also successful in defending the terms and conditions of workers at Clarks Shoes last year in a battle over fire and rehire.

The actions by the already organised, which in the case of the rail unions has paralysed the network and London Underground, has inspired non-union members such as at Amazon in the private sector to revolt. Their actions are being facilitated because following Brexit there has been the return of millions of migrant workers to their home countries and this means employers are operating in a tight labour market. Obtaining strike breakers will not be easy. Attempts to break the RMT strike using agency workers have been unsuccessful.

With the RMT’s Mick Lynch also proving to be a fine advocate for trade unions then this year has seen membership increasing considerably as workers seek to defend themselves at work.

With a  government that is also in disarray due to Boris Johnson being forced to resign as Prime Minister then further strikes involving more workers than ever in a very long time thus seem certain.  

Speaking to strikers – the vast majority of whom wished to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation - from the RMT, CWU and the University College Union (UCU) that represents 120,000 academics, lecturers, trainers, researchers and academic-related staff across further and higher education and where staff took 10 days of action throughout February and March then it is apparent that none want to be on strike. This is because sacrifices are needed, it takes time to win support for strike action across the workforce, there are legal restrictions that must be adhered to, gaining public support is not assured, organising effective picketing is hard work and that underpinning everything is the fear that the action may be unsuccessful and leave strikers in a weaker position on their return to work.

Claire Lord has been a postal worker for 21 years and is an elected CWU workplace representative in Halifax.  She has previously taken strike action 13 years ago over job security and working conditions and which ended with a compromise deal with the Royal Mail, then publicly owned.

“The process of going on strike is a very long one. There are no union barons instructing workers what to do. Our leaders are elected and to obtain support for strike action then members are consulted first and then balloted, for which there are strike procedures”.

Back in 2017, CWU members, 89.1% of whom voted for a strike, were stopped from taking action when the High Court ruled the union did not properly follow the dispute resolution procedures.

Royal Mail legal action also prevented Christmas strikes in 2019.

In July 2022, 115,000 CWU postal workers voted by 97.6%, on a 77% turnout, to take action until they receive a “dignified, proper pay rise”. This followed extensive negotiations between Royal Mail, privatised in 2013, and the union.

Four days of walkouts (by the time this article comes out -ed )  have taken place by CWU members including in Halifax by Terry (not his real name) who fears this may not prove enough to force his employer to make an agreement. “The two sides are a long way from what they both want. The company has imposed a 2% pay deal on us and with inflation at 12% that would mean a massive drop in living standards. Royal Mail also want to massively change our working conditions such, as for example, moving everyone on to statutory sick pay and getting people to work on Sundays”. The CWU wants a no-strings pay increase.

Carol, not her real name, has been taking strike action for the first time. “It is hard to persuade people to walk out because they lose money. I believe it is the only logical action as everyone’s bills are rising quickly. The normal jolly working atmosphere has gone due to the pressure on household budgets especially those with families. There is also anger that despite having worked during the pandemic, when we not only delivered letters but were the only friendly face that many single, elderly people saw for many weeks, we appear to be of no value to the employer, who have enormously increased senior executives pay and handed out massive dividends to shareholders”.

Carol said she had been buoyed by her customers "support for our strikes and which I think is mirrored amongst the public in general due to their own current hardships”.

This was a point also made by Gary, not his real name, a RMT member working as a guard at Huddersfield. “Working class people are being eviscerated by this government, which in our case can, because it provides vast public subsidies that franchise operators rely on, step in to end the rail disputes by agreeing a decent pay deal that protects jobs, working conditions and the rail network. Many members of the public see us as fighting for them and other less organised union members are looking at us as figureheads in their battles over pay”.

Tom, not his real name, like Gary was amongst the guards who took successful strike action in 2018-19 to prevent Northern rail abolishing their posts. “We stuck together and won. Now, Network Rail and the operating companies, which are handing out dividends to shareholders, can afford to make us a decent pay offer. They must as bills are rocketing. It may take a while as the companies know that the longer it goes on the greater the pressure is as bills such as mortgage payment must still be paid”. The RMT has set up a hardship to help those struggling the most but everyone taking strike action will, like CWU members, be losing some pay and trade union members in other industries have been asked to make donations to help out.

“The support of other trade unionists has been fantastic,” said Lord “and we have been delighted that a number have shown solidarity on our picket lines, which are designed to persuade possible waverers not to go into work, bring strikers together and show that we are serious about our intentions to the public and who we will answer any questions from and explain our actions.” Lord reported that one member of the public who approached her did not know the Royal Mail was no longer publicly owned,

She was buoyed by the fact that just one person out of over 185 staff, 95% + of whom are CWU members, had crossed the CWU picket line in Halifax, a place not traditionally known for its militancy in the first two days of strike action.

Workers who cross picket lines – a protest outside of the workplace by workers on strike – weaken strike action. In a case where more workers cross the line than take action and normal working is resumed then defeat for the remaining strikers is almost certain.

Susan, a UCU member from Sheffield, has been a lecturer for a decade. She has been forced to accept short term contracts. Despite her precarious working conditions, she participated in strikes in the spring over pay, pensions and conditions. She did not though attend the picket line. “I had previously taken action in 2020 and it demoralised me to see many colleagues not joining in. I also did not want to try and stop my managers going into work”.

According to the UCU, 46% of universities and 60% of colleges use zero hours contracts to deliver teaching and 68% of research staff in higher education are on fixed term contracts, with many more dependent on short-term funding for continued employment.

Richard, an administrator, was a UCU steward for many years. When he sees colleagues cross the picket line “it is quite demoralising and personally difficult to rationalise especially when back at work you must always be civil.  I suspect when I end working here I won’t remain in contact with those who’ve been strike breakers”.

What has though always lifted Richard’s spirits on picket lines is the arrival of trade unionists from other workplaces. “There have been RMT and CWU members who have come along with their banners, cups of tea and cakes. We have taken strike action over the last few years because our pay has been cut by about a fifth since 2007, when we last got a decent rise, and the employers are attacking our pensions. My job is fairly secure but many UCU teaching members have been pushed into precarious positions.”

Richard confidently expects to be amongst university staff who will join the current wave of industrial action sweeping across the country as the UCU is balloting staff in the ongoing disputes over pensions and pay & conditions. If the union obtains the support of a majority of its Higher Education members on an overall turnout of 50%+ then strikes will follow in November, along with further ballots for industrial action in spring 2023.  

“Hopefully, those on strike currently will have won their disputes by the time we may take action. If not let’s hope there can be simultaneous actions,” said Richard, who like many trade unionists will be watching the TUC Conference (10-14 September)  this month when delegates there will discuss trying to co-ordinate strike action to maximise the numbers out on specific days.