Last Friday, thousands of postal workers in London, Scotland, and other offices dotted around the country staged a solid 24-hour strike - the 3rd in a series of strikes against job cuts, heavy workloads and the replacement of full-time jobs by part-time (temp) jobs. Another 4 days of "rolling" action, starting Saturday, may involve even more workers, as another 400 offices (out of 1,600) have now been balloted for official strike.

The postal workers have every reason to strike. While the government shelved (temporarily) the sale of 30% of Royal Mail, it hasn't shelved its cuts agenda, nor has it stopped using the large pensions deficit it created by taking a 13-year long pension contribution holiday, as blackmail against the workforce.

That is why this is an urgent fight. The postal service is obviously a much needed public service and more workers are needed, not less, for it to work properly! On the other hand, the leadership of the postal workers' union, the CWU, has been dragging its feet over the fight, to say the least. It has only managed to organise scattered one-day strikes - and did not even organise a national demonstration last Friday, when workers expected it. It is only now, under pressure from the offices all around the country that it is finally planning a national ballot - but after months of delay!

As for the London strike, sections are called to strike one after the other for 24 hours each, according to the old argument of causing the "maximum disruption" at "minimum cost" to the strikers. Yet it is obvious that, on the contrary, hitting hard, using maximum force gives the best chance of winning in the least time!

Indeed, so far, the CWU leaders seem to be doing their best to organise a disruption - not of the mail - but of the fight back! But of course, there is no need for the workers to go along with this crazy and ineffective way of doing things. What's more they know from past experience that it is only when they take their strike into their own hands that the government and RM bosses back down. Let the strikers lead the battle themselves! That will be the first step towards stopping the endless barrage of attacks they - and we - are facing today!