All CWU members will soon receive a ballot paper concerning the future of the CWU Political Fund. This fund, in place for many years, allows the union to campaign politically, advancing key worker rights. Your branch committee strongly recommends voting YES to keep the fund.

History shows that trade unions must campaign politically to protect jobs and improve employment rights. Anti-trade union laws mandate ballots like this every ten years, yet businesses face no such restrictions in political lobbying.

The CWU’s Political Fund has been vital in recent campaigns such as Royal Mail’s takeover, telecom and postal member protections, and securing the rights in the New Deal for Workers, like stronger family rights and safeguards against zero-hour contracts.

Retaining the Political Fund is crucial to continuing this work.

Your Branch Committee Recommend that you vote yes X to retain the political fund.

Read the full letter below:

To: All CWU Members

Dear Colleague

Re: CWU Political Fund Ballot

You will soon be receiving a ballot paper on the future of the CWU Political Fund. The fund has been in place for many years and allows your union to campaign politically. Your Branch Committee are strongly recommending that you VOTE YES X.

History shows that Trade Unions have always had to campaign politically for changes in the law to protect jobs and secure better employment rights in the workplace.

Anti-trade union legislation was introduced to try and restrict unions by forcing them to set up separate Political Funds and to ballot their members every ten years. None of these laws apply to companies and businesses who can spend substantial amounts on political campaigning/lobbying. This will be the fifth time we have balloted our members – all received overwhelming yes votes.

Eight years ago, the CWU launched a campaign called A New Deal for Workers. As a result of this political campaign, legislation is now to be introduced that gives workers rights from day one, no more fire and rehire or exploitative zero-hour contracts, new rights to protect workers from remote surveillance, stronger family-friendly rights, and improved trade union rights. No political fund, no new deal for workers.

Recent CWU campaigns that have relied heavily on the union’s Political Fund:

Royal Mail takeover (motion submitted to Labour Conference)

• Challenging the regulator OFCOM for our Telecom and Postal members

• The future of the Post Office Network

• Equal treatment for agency workers

• Real Living Wage

• Improved maternity and paternity rights

• Introduction of tougher new laws against Dangerous Dogs

• Low Level Letterboxes

• New Pension scheme - Royal Mail Collective Plan (The first of its kind in the UK)

• Hillsborough Law Now – campaigns against injustice across the UK

• Remote sourcing of contact centre jobs

• The Right to Food campaign

• Campaigns against all forms of Domestic violence

• Metro Mayors Good Employment Charters

• Lobby Mayors and councils for better public services.

• Repealing Anti-Trade Union Laws that would have sacked TU members for taking strike action.

It can be seen from the above that many of our industrial issues are intertwined with politics. We need to be able to influence political outcomes to further our membership's aims and objectives.

Your Branch Committee recommends that you vote yes X to retain the political fund.