More than 12,000 postal workers across the UK are to strike and demonstrate on Friday due to thelatest industrial dispute at Royal Mail threatening the worst disruption to deliveries for years,
according to UK media reports.The upcoming “Day of Action” announced by the Communications Workers Union (CWU) follows amajor three-day strike that took place in London last week after Royal Mail had turned down CWU’soffer for a three-month no strike deal.
Over 12,000 postal workers are expected to participate in the 24-hours strike taking place inLondon, Scotland, central, eastern and southwest England with cities including Edinburgh, Bristol,Plymouth and Darlington among others. Other protest actions across the UK will include gatemeetings and releasing balloons.
On Friday afternoon, a letter and a postcard will be delivered to Royal Mail’s ChiefExecutive Adam Crozier and the Business Secretary Lord Mandelson. Once these have arrived safely attheir addresses a national balloon release will take place with thousands of balloons rising aboveRoyal Mail workplaces across the UK, CWU said in a statement.
Royal Mail condemned CWU’s plan for further strike action this Friday and said that more than90% of its people would still be delivering mail to their customers with over 90% of offices notaffected by the planned strikes.
The postal operator said it will be doing everything possible during the strike to provide ascomplete a service as possible to customers. “Strike action hurts both businesses and individualsand our customers will not understand how the CWU leadership can keep saying it backs modernisationwhile constantly resisting the introduction of new technology and more efficient working practiceson the ground.”
“The CWU has issued instructions to their branch representatives in London and elsewhere notto co-operate with Royal Mail over the introduction of new equipment and changes in workingpractices – so in spite of their leaders’ public statements supporting the modernisation Royal Mailneeds, they have an active union policy of opposing change on the ground,” Royal Mail added.
Lord Mandelson has recently made clear that the union is “essentially boycotting the agreedprocesses for making change in the Royal Mail” and that the union must change its attitude tochange and implement the 2007 agreement on Pay and Modernisation.
“We are again urging the CWU to work with us to implement that agreement and help completethe transformation of Royal Mail in all our interests. Royal Mail is already half way through thattransformation – and has already invested more than £800m – but we must up our pace in the face ofdramatic and accelerating changes in the market in which we operate,” the company concluded.
Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, commented: “There are serious and growing problemsin the postal sector which urgently need resolving. We have renewed our offer of a three monthno-strike deal to Royal Mail in return for meaningful talks over modernisation. The current cuts,bullying managers and ever increasing workloads on a shrinking workforce cannot continue. Pressureand stress is at breaking point for postal workers so we urgently need a fresh start for a modernRoyal Mail.”
“The national day of action on Friday is in response to an ever growing number of requestsfor industrial action from postal workers across the country who feel let down by Royal Mailmanagement. We have almost 400 ballot requests at the moment with more coming daily. Withoutprogress this could effectively turn into a national strike,” Ward added.
The British government had previously postponed the controversial part-privatisation of RoyalMail following an unsuccessful bidding round and to avoid a rebellion within the ruling LabourParty.
