Strikebreaking and psyops
fail to deter Australia Post workers

Bob Briton

Up to 20,000 Australia Post workers in the eastern states took 
24-hour strike action last week in support of their union's stand 
on a range of issues including a pay claim, privatisation by 
stealth and the corporation's attempts to replace full-time 
workers with part-time and casual staff. Workers in other states 
are set to strike this Friday if Australia Post does not return 
to the negotiating table.

Management have offered a pay rise of eight per cent over two 
years and a $400 "performance bonus". It refuses to discuss the 
other issues confronting postal workers and makes no apologies 
for its bellicose attitude. Matthew Pollard, the voice of 
Australia Post, put it this way:

"The union may carp about the use of full-time employees but the 
reality is that our business is organised around the interests of 
our customers, not the desires of the union for increased 
membership."

The hostility of corporation management to its workers has been 
underscored during this latest chapter in the months-long 
negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement. Even 
though the nationwide 24-hour stoppages were the first such 
industrial action in over 20 years, Australia Post had made 
extensive and very costly preparations to break the efforts of 
its mostly low paid workforce.

"Volunteers" [scabs] from elsewhere in Australia Post were 
brought in to keep mail centres working. Though Mr Pollard 
angrily denied it, workers reported some staff enlisting 
children, friends and relatives in the anti-union operation in a 
clear breach of security guidelines. Australia Post has form in 
this regard — very young casuals from Ready Workforce were used 
in a strikebreaking exercise when the regular workers went out 
over inadequate arrangements imposed during the move to the new 
Ardeer parcel facility in Victoria.

In Queensland, replacement mail sorters were put to work for up 
to $25 an hour, contracted interstate trucking companies were 
brought in for the day and Siemens technicians were used to run 
machines at the Northgate Mail Centre.

Before, during and after the stoppage Australia Post has done its 
best to demoralise the workers battling for a better deal and for 
the service to stay in public hands. Even the much-vaunted $400 
"performance bonus" was said to be put in jeopardy by the 
workers' actions.

The strike would only inconveniences customers, Mr Pollard 
warned. Later he was playing the flip side of the bosses' record, 
maintaining that only minimal disruptions occurred. Of course, 
the industrial action "disadvantages more than 20,000 of our 
employees by delaying payment of significant wage increases 
offered by Australia Post".

Workers are angry that eight per cent over two years is being 
viewed as significant while executive pay packages in the 
corporation are so excessive. Australia Post's CEO Mr Graeme John 
is Australia's highest paid public servant, "earning" $1.88 
million last year. They are angry, too, that plans by Australia 
Post to franchise more of its retail outlets would result in 
workers being forced into a range of inferior contract 
arrangements with franchisees.

There is also the broader public interest at stake in the 
struggle. The workers are battling against moves to privatise the 
entire postal service by stealth. Jim Metcher, the NSW state 
secretary of the Communications, Electrical, Electronics, 
Plumbing and Allied Services Union (CEPU) told the media that his 
union "and workers believe franchise today, privatisation 
tomorrow, and it's just another way of gift-wrapping a lot of 
these post offices to be sold off".

Jim pointed out that Australia Post's restructuring had already 
cost around 3000 full-time positions in NSW alone in recent years 
and that plans by the corporation to split full-time positions 
into part-time sorting and part-time delivery would undermine the 
job-security of many more workers.

Well-attended mass meetings in the eastern states last week again 
rejected Australia Post's offer and approved plans for further 
industrial action. Workers in other states are due to go on 
strike this Friday.