Royal Mail said yesterday there was “no justification” for the CWU union’s threat of strikeaction in response to planned changes to Royal Mail’s operations in Greater London, and that the
company was optimistic that industrial action could be avoided.The statements follow the results of a ballot yesterday of CWU postal members at four threatenedLondon mail facilities, in which the CWU claimed: “Postal workers in London have voted by four toone in favour of strike action against plans to shut three mail centres and one delivery office inLondon. The Communication Workers Union is concerned that the closures will lead to compulsoryredundancies.”
A spokesman told CEP-Research that the changes in London were in line with the agreement reachedwith the CWU only last year, and that it was confident they could be made without compulsoryredundancies.
He said: “Royal Mail and the CWU agree that the changes are likely to mean around 580 peopleleaving on redundancy terms. There is a voluntary redundancy process under way, and there arealready nearly 700 full time people who have expressed an interest in taking voluntary redundancypackages.”
Royal Mail said that there was not a strong mandate for disruptive strike action, and called onthe union to work instead to support all those affected by the changes. The spokesman claimed thatthe CWU ballot for strike action at the four London sites was supported by only 37% of alloperational employees at the affected sites, meaning nearly two thirds of those employees did notvote to support strike action. He said the company would continue its dialogue with the union, andthat he was optimistic that unnecessary strike action would be avoided.
Gerry O’Rourke, Royal Mail’s regional operations director for London, said: “I know that it isalways a difficult time when changes of this kind are announced. The reality is that almost 700full time Royal Mail people in London have already expressed an interest in taking a voluntaryredundancy package that is worth up to two years’ salary. More than 300 are already beingprogressed.
“We’ve got to change. In 2014, the number of items posted in London will have fallen by morethan half since 2006. But we will achieve these changes through voluntary means. There is nojustification for strike action.”
Royal Mail said the CWU balloted four workplaces in London – South London mail centre, EastLondon mail centre, Mount Pleasant mail centre, and the delivery offices at Rathbone Place – whichemploy 4,088 operational staff, and that only 1,511 supported strike action. Turnout among unionmembers was 51%, representing only 47% of total operational employees at the affected sites.
The CWU said 79% of the returned ballot papers had voted in favour of strike action, with only21% voting against. It said up to 3,500 Royal Mail staff would take strike action “unlessreassurances are given over job security and concerns of bullying are addressed”.
Martin Walsh, CWU divisional representative, said: “London postal workers have sent a clearmessage to Royal Mail in this ballot that they will not be bullied or intimidated by the company.Royal Mail’s closure plans are a clear threat of compulsory redundancy and this is completelyunacceptable. In their race to push services to the bottom, Royal Mail will eventually provoke areaction wider than London.”
