Royal Mail and its workers seemed set for a long, hard battle yesterday after 130,000 employees andmembers of the Communication Workers Union voted in favour of strikes over pay and restructuring –
the first national walkouts at the company in a decade.More than three-quarters of employees who took part in the ballot voted for strike action andthe CWU says it will now stage a series of nationwide strikes to protest against a below-inflationpay offer from Royal Mail and major restructuring the union believes will lead to thousands of jobslosses and privatisation.
The union called for Royal Mail to enter fresh talks over an improved pay deal and openingdiscussions on restructuring agreements.
“This yes vote shows absolutely clearly that Royal Mail workers have rejected the company’sbusiness plan, the company’s leadership and the unacceptable pay offer,” said CWU deputy generalsecretary, Dave Ward.
”Royal Mail leaders say they listen to people; this is the clearest message they have everhad. Royal Mail has to listen and return to serious negotiations.”
Royal Mail have offered a 2.5% pay rise for 2007 and one-off payments of up to EUR 1100 forchanges to working that include less collections, and cuts in weekend and night work, as part of aGBP 350 million (EUR 514 million) cost-cutting programme.
Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton said it would not be offering more money or freezing therestructuring as the CWU had asked.
“As ever, we are listening hard to our people, but this is not a popularity contest,”Leighton said. “Change is difficult for everyone, but we have no option but to become a modern,efficient business if we are to compete and thrive in today’s competitive marketplace.”
“Our position remains: we can’t afford to pay any more right now and we certainly can’tafford to put all our future in danger by putting off the need to change and modernise,” he added.
Colleagues in Parcelforce, the group’s parcel’s division, have already voted to accept asimilar pay offer on a recommendation by the CWU, Royal Mail pointed out.
The group said that the union had balloted 127,000 people and that 66,064 people had votedfor strike action – around half of the number balloted and excluding more than 20,000 people whoare not union members.
The UK’s Federation of Small Businesses called for both sides to reach an agreement, saying alengthy postal strike could be “devastating” since small businesses were totally reliant on RoyalMail.
Meanwhile, delegates at the CWU’s annual conference in Bournemouth, held this week, votedunanimously to run a boycotting campaign against High Street retailers WH Smith. WH Smith is movinginto its stores the franchised business of 70 Crown post offices which Royal Mail is closing down.
