Dave Ward (trade unionist)

David (Dave) Ward (born 12 July 1959) is a British trade union leader and General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), which was formed through the merger of the Union of Communication Workers and the National Communications Union in 1995. The CWU is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom for people working in the Postal and Telecommunications industry with over 180,000 members.[1] Ward is a co-chair of Stand Up To Racism.[2]

Dave Ward
General Secretary of the Workers Union
Assumed office
2015
Preceded byBilly Hayes
Personal details
Born (1959-07-12) 12 July 1959
Lambeth, London, England

Trade union career

Born in Lambeth, London Ward joined the Post Office as a Telegram boy in 1976 after leaving school and quickly became an active Union member. He became a member of the Tooting Branch Committee of the CWU in 1981. Ward was elected as Branch Secretary in 1982. Following the re-organising of the Union's Branch structure in 1992 he was elected Branch Secretary of the London South West Branch. In 1995 he became London Regional Secretary and in 1996 was elected London Divisional Representative. He played a leading role in the 1996 National Postal Dispute, which involved eight days of 24-hour strikes over an extended period and eventually forced Royal Mail to drop their plans to introduce 'team working'.

In 2000, he was elected onto the Union's National Executive and in 2001 he became National Officer for the Outdoor Department (Deliveries and Collections). Dave was elected as the CWU Deputy General Secretary in June 2003, dealing with a major London dispute in 2003 and national disputes in 2007 and 2009. In 2015, he was elected as the union's General Secretary, defeating the incumbent, Billy Hayes.[3]

Ward has participated in the 'Enough is Enough' campaign, fighting for worker's rights.[4][5][6]

Labour Party

Ward is a member of the Labour Party and served as the CWU's representative on the Labour Party's National Executive Committee but decided to step down from the role in 2007 because he believed it conflicted with the interests of the Union's members. Dave remains a critical member of the party particularly over the issues of the Post Office/Royal Mail privatisation and liberalisation.

In September 2015, Ward endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election. He said: "I am delighted to announce that the CWU will be backing Jeremy Corbyn MP to be the next leader of the Labour party. There are no quick fixes for the Labour Party, but there are some easy decisions, and choosing Jeremy as its leader should be one of them We think that it is time for a change for Labour. The grip of the Blairites and individuals like Peter Mandelson must now be loosened once and for all. There is a virus within the Labour party, and Jeremy Corbyn is the antidote."[7]

In September 2016, Ward spoke at the Keep Corbyn rally in Brighton in support of Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election.[8]

Personal life

Ward is married with four children. His hobbies and interests include football and music. He is a Chelsea Football Club fan and likes a wide range of music and plays the blues guitar.

References
  1. "CWU trade union membership UK 2020". Statista. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  2. "About". Stand Up To Racism. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  3. "CWU general secretary Billy Hayes defeated by deputy in ballot", BBC News, 16 April 2015
  4. "Huge turnout as Enough is Enough campaign launched". Socialist Worker. 17 August 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  5. Lazenby, Peter (31 August 2022). "Manchester Cathedral packed to overflowing as Enough is Enough rally demands pay, price controls and a working-class fightback". Morning Star. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  6. "Enough is Enough's Liverpool rally sounds the call for resistance". Socialist Worker. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  7. Watt, Nicholas (10 September 2015). "Communication Workers Union backs Corbyn as antidote to Blairite 'virus'". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  8. Burke, Darren (26 August 2016). "TV star comedians line up for Jeremy Corbyn rally in Doncaster". Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
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