More than 10,000 of Royal Mail’s 12,000 London employees took strike action this week in the latestindustrial dispute at the British postal operator and just after the British government postponed
plans to part-privatise the organisation.The Communications Workers Union (CWU) started strike action in London over jobs and pay onWednesday causing major disruption to mail deliveries after Royal Mail had turned down an offer fora three-month no strike deal. The strike has been spread over three days with delivery staffstriking on Wednesday, followed by distribution workers on Thursday and mail centre staff stoppingwork today.
Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “Strike action in London is in response toRoyal Mail’s continuing executive action of cuts without modernisation. There’s no machinery, noredesigning of deliveries and no improvement on industrial relations. The company has abandoned thefinal phase of the 2007 Pay and Modernisation agreement and is set on piling more work and pressureon already stretched staff.”
“It’s now clear that Royal Mail management is the biggest block to modernisation. Whenpresented with the best deal we – or any other union – can offer, which is for three months of noindustrial action and focused negotiation on modernisation, they refuse,” Ward added.
Royal Mail called CWU’s offer for a “moratorium” on industrial action “misleading nonsense”. “ It is nothing more than an attempt, backed by the threat of escalating strike action, to halt themodernisation process which is crucial to the company’s future survival. Any moratorium on furtherchange at Royal Mail – at a time when we urgently need to accelerate the pace of change in the faceof an annual 10% decline in UK mail volumes – is simply impossible.”
“All our customers and stakeholders, including our shareholder, the Government, areencouraging Royal Mail to modernise even more quickly yet the CWU persists in opposing change. Thefact is that change must happen now – not after a “moratorium” of several months – when 20% feweritems are being delivered in central London each day compared to two years ago, and efficiency lagsbehind the rest of the UK, with productivity in some parts of the capital around 35% below the bestUK units,” the company added.
The Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has criticised the strike action saying that thenegative attitude of unions to change was partly to blame for the mail carrier’s difficulties. “Ijust wish this ‘head in the sand’ attitude by the Communication Workers Union would end.”
Due to the strike’s impact on London’s mail network for the duration of the three days, RoyalMail managers from throughout the country are helping reduce disruption to service during thestrike and to keep as many services running as possible. The company intends to make limiteddeliveries and collect mail from all post offices and public drop-boxes, according to Bloomberg.
Last week, the British government postponed the controversial part-privatisation of RoyalMail following an unsuccessful bidding round and to avoid a rebellion within the ruling LabourParty.
CWU said it will be holding a national day of action on 17th July which will combineindustrial action and demonstrations. “Royal Mail and the government cannot ignore this situationwhich is growing worse every day. We need to return to the agreement and negotiate change now.”
