News

Angry postal workers took police by surprise and blocked a major street near the UK Parliament in a mass protest at Con-Dem plans to sell off the Royal Mail.

Waving union banners and placards, hundreds of communication workers union CWU activists staged the demo just yards from the scene of recent police battles with students.

For half an hour nothing moved along Victoria Street as the protesters spread right across the road outside the office of Business Secretary Vince Cable, chanting: "Royal Mail, not for sale."

The first police car to arrive was kettled by postal workers, unable to move forwards or backwards.

Helpless officers had to remove a white protest banner from their car bonnet as they called for back-up.

It was half an hour before squad cars arrived in force and the protesters, many wearing Father Christmas hats, withdrew to the pavement before handing in mock greetings cards at the Business Department addressed to Mr Cable.

The demonstrators had streamed across from a protest rally in Central Hall Westminster where CWU leaders warned of strike action in protest at privatisation of the Royal Mail.

Feelings reached fever pitch after CWU general secretary Billy Hayes revealed at the rally that he had been kettled along with thousands of students in Whitehall until 11pm during that demonstration.

Cat Smith of Compass Youth was cheered as she declared: "I have a message of solidarity for you from the kettled generation. We are standing with you in solidarity, fighting to keep the post public."

From the other end of the age scale, National Pensioners Convention general secretary Dot Gibson won stormy applause as she linked the attack on the Royal Mail with the vicious assault on all public services and the welfare state.

Ms Gibson urged Labour MPs who spoke in support of the CWU at the rally to go "out on the streets" and join demonstrations. Labour shadow business secretary John Denham was among a wide range of speakers at the rally, along with leading figures from general union GMB, industrial union Unite, Green MP Caroline Lucas and MPs from the SNP and Plaid Cymru.

Mr Denham was applauded as he pledged on behalf of Labour leader Ed Miliband and his shadow cabinet: "We are completely opposed to the Postal Services Bill, and we are opposed to privatisation of the Royal Mail."

He urged a big lift to the anti-privatisation campaign, and warned MPs who voted for the Bill that "they will be held personally to account."

Mr Cable came under furious attack at the rally for his lead role in pushing through the Con-Dem scheme to wreck the universal postal service by allowing private buyers to own up to 90 per cent of the Royal Mail.

He wants to offer at least 10 per cent of the shares to staff - a suggestion strongly rejected by the union.

The shameless Lib Dem minister is making cooing noises to foreign companies which may want to buy up chunks of the Royal Mail.

Mr Cable is also pushing the idea of mutualising the Post Office network, hailing this as "the Big Society in action."

For more information on the campaign go to; www.cwu.org