Labour to vote on state control for Royal Mail
TRADE unionists yesterday pledged to take the fight against the Royal Mail sell-off to the wire – and said they would call on Labour leader Ed Miliband to commit to renationalising the postal service if he wins the next general election.
Dave Ward of the Communications Workers Union told the Trades Union Congress (TUC) his organisation will seek the support of ordinary Labour party members for a motion calling for postal services to remain in the public sector.
But the motion, which will be moved at Labour’s annual conference later this month, is unlikely to be enough to stop the coalition’s plans to sell off the postal service in a £3bn float this autumn.
The government is set to announce its intention to float the 497-year-old institution on the London Stock Exchange within days.
Miliband received lukewarm applause as he told the TUC that he was committed to reforming Labour’s relationship with the unions – despite increasing speculation that he will have to water down key parts of his plan to make unionists opt-in to Labour affiliation fees.