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Keep the Post Public

At the end of 2007, the Government commissioned a panel, led by Richard Hooper, to study, review and report on the future of Royal Mail.

A year later Mr Hooper's final report made three key recommendations:

1. That the Government take on responsibility for the Royal Mail pension Scheme deficit.
2. That postal industry regulator Postcomm should be abolished and its duties taken on by communications watchdog Ofcom.
3. That Royal Mail be part-privatised.

Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills Lord Mandelson immediately announced that the Government agreed with each of these and legislate to introduce them.

The CWU fully agreed with and welcomed Hooper's first two proposals but utterly opposed selling any part Royal Mail, and vowed to fight tooth and nail to try to prevent it. The CWU Executive discussed and agreed a campaign strategy. The aim was to maximise political support at Westminster by lobbying and putting the postal workers' case direct to politicians, while also keeping the pressure on them by taking the campaign out to the British public and winning the broadest popular backing.

In early 2009, postal workers received a huge political boost when CWU-supported MP Geraldine Smith (Morecambe and Lunesdale) put down an Early Day Motion (EDM 428) completely supporting our union's stance. After just a couple of weeks of intensive CWU campaigning, signatories had already hit the 100 mark, providing the perfect launch pad for the "Keep the Post Public" campaign, which opened at a rally in Westminster in February 2009.

The very next day, Lord Mandelson introduced the Government's privatising legislation (the Postal Services Bill) in the House of Lords.

In March and April 2009 postal workers took their case for public ownership out to the people, demonstrating in Postal Affairs Minister Pat McFadden's Wolverhampton constituency, rallying in Manchester and marching through Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield and a host of other towns and cities.

Public opposition continued to grow, but the Bill continued its progress, passing its Second House of Lords Reading in March 2009, taking its Third Reading in May 2009, and then moving on to the House of Commons. In early May 2009, the CWU campaign opened up a new front, launching the nationwide "Keeping the Public Posted" tour at John O'Groats and heading down, region by region, to Lands End in Cornwall.

The tour gave activists and supporters in every region of the UK the chance to take part in the campaign, while also giving members of the public, from the big cities to the smallest and most remote communities, the chance to hear our case. By early summer 2009, the union's tireless campaigning had lifted the issue right to the top of the political agenda. But, after several weeks of delay - and mounting speculation - Mr Mandelson announced to the House of Lords on 1 July 2009, that the government had decided to shelve the Bill.