Watch: Yma o Hyd is blasted out on a picket line in London
The extraordinary reinvention of Dafydd Iwan’s Yma o Hyd has taken on a new form after being adopted as an anthem for striking postal workers.
The song was used by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) as part of its ongoing dispute with Royal Mail.
The union posted a video on its social channels last night on the eve of two days of industrial action which has seen 115,000 postal workers walkout in a long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
The video shows a slideshow of images of postal workers showing solidarity with each other as Yma o Hyd plays in the background.
And now today a new video has come to light of postal workers blasting out the song on a picket line in London.
It’s yet another remarkable moment for Dafydd Iwan’s song, which is the official World Cup song of the Wales football squad, having taken on a life of its own since being sung at Wales international matches.
Dafydd Iwan said he was proud that the Communication Workers Union were using the song.
“I fully support the postal workers in their demands and struggles for a fair deal,” he said.
“We need to respect all our public servants in these difficult times.
“I am proud that they are using Yma o Hyd to show they are still here and fighting.”
A Communication Workers Union spokesperson added: “Yma o Hyd is one of the most stirring songs ever composed about staying strong and standing firm against forces who want to rob people of their dignity and self-respect.
“This message isn’t lost on posties playing this song on picket lines as they go up in their thousands against some of Britain’s most powerful men.”
Yma o Hyd – we are still here.
Tomorrow we make history. #StandByYourPost pic.twitter.com/HNwnUzEiQo
— The CWU (@CWUnews) November 23, 2022
The postal dispute comes as Royal Mail senior management presented take-it-or-leave-it proposals to the CWU this week. The proposals were described by Royal Mail as a “final and best offer” to workers.
In response CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said: “We are disappointed that instead of reaching a compromise to avoid major disruption, Royal Mail have chosen to pursue such an aggressive strategy.
“We will not accept that 115,000 Royal Mail workers – the people who kept us connected during the pandemic, and made millions in profit for bosses and shareholders – take such a devastating blow to their livelihoods.
“These proposals spell the end of Royal Mail as we know it, and its degradation from a national institution into an unreliable, Uber-style gig economy company.
“Make no mistake about it: British postal workers are facing an Armageddon moment.
“We urge every member of the public to stand with their postie, and back them like never before.”
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Makes alot of sense for them to use it. Considering the song was aimed at essentially the same elite the postie’s face give or take a change of suit.
It should also be pointed out that this strike is not all about pay, although in these hard times it obviously important. It is more about the change of working conditions. A change that will force posties to work on a Sunday without overtime pay, but more importantly impacting on their family life. The Royal Mail expect people to work unsocial hours throughout the year,including the Christmas period, and now they want to deprive them of the chance to have a family life on just one day of the week i.e on a Sunday.