You will be aware from previous GS Circulars that the CWU has nominated five candidates to contest the election for the five Worker Director positions on the Board of An Post.  This Union’s nominations are:

Pat Compton  CWU Roscommon
 Jerry Condon  CWU Cork
 Paddy Costello CWU Dublin
 Paddy Davoren CWU Dublin
 Tommy Devlin CWU Dublin

The CWU candidates have developed a wealth of experience and have built up enormous trust and respect over many years through their Trojan and tireless work on behalf of the CWU.  Individually, they each have a long track record in putting our members’ interests first at all times. Collectively they will represent our common interest in a highly influential manner at Board level, which is the highest decision making forum in An Post. 

CWU Election Strategy

The Executive Council has decided on a careful strategy of vote management which is devised to achieve the CWU’s ambition, i.e. to ensure that this Union’s five candidates are all elected to the five positions of the Board of An Post.

To this end each candidate has been allocated a number of Branches so as to ensure that the required number of first preference votes is available to them.  This strategy is the most effective method of maximising our hopes to achieve the five seats for your Union.  The allocation of Branches, as outlined in the attachment to this GS Circular, has been accepted unanimously by the Union’s five candidates.

All members are earnestly requested to co-operate wholeheartedly with this approach by voting Number 1 for their allocated candidate and to continue their preferences by voting 2, 3, 4, and 5 for the remaining CWU candidates, in order of their choice.

Over the coming weeks in the lead up to the issuing of ballot papers on the 29th September 2008, the CWU will put in place a highly professional and organised campaign to support the Union’s goal, of having your Union’s candidates elected to the Board of An Post. All activists, together with each and every individual member will have a role and responsibility in this campaign.  You will be aware of the major challenges you as Postal workers face in respect of your Pay and Conditions from the major threats we face, including issues such as Downstream Access, Post Codes, Quality of Service, Regulation or the funding of the Universal Service Obligation.

  In fully adhering to the Union’s strategy, thereby electing the five CWU candidates, you the members will deliver a very strong message to the Board and Management of the Company. In addition, you will assist your Union in laying down a very strong marker to the Department of Communications, ComReg, and all the big businesses who under Postal deregulation will seek to take your livelihood away from you. Your Union, through your vote must remain as the key voice for Postal workers in the Postal/ Courier delivery market.

Members should never forget that in our darkest hour, under the previous management regime, that we had no option but to depend on ourselves and our Worker Directors, when all of the other An Post Unions settled their disputes with management and left us isolated and totally dependant on our own resources.

 It is normal within any democratic organisation that different members or groups within the Union will have genuine grievances. The CWU is no different, but it would be a perfect example of “cutting off your nose to spite your face” if you were to use such an important vote as some form of protest, thereby  handing Worker Director seats to the Unions who abandoned us in our darkest hour.

It is critical to our success that Branch Secretaries are meticulous in their approach, most particularly in respect of the Ballot arrangements. To this end Branch Secretary’s will be advised separately of a meeting in their region to detail the Unions requirements.