Workers at Royal Mail will vote next month whether to strike for better pay and working conditionsunless a deal is reached and in protest at government plans to privatise the company, the CWU
communications union decided today.Some 500 CWU delegates voted unanimously at a meeting in London to hold a national strikeballot of 115,000 Royal Mail workers ‘no later’ than September unless ‘protection for jobs andservices’ can be secured before then. It would be the first national strike ballot at Royal Mailsince September 2009.
The union has rejected a three-year offer from Royal Mail that included a phased 8.6 per centpay rise and a three-year freeze on contract conditions along with commitments to a 75 per centfull-time workforce and no further outsourcing of services. The CWU has claimed the proposal was “misleading and unacceptable” and the pay offer was just “a sweetener” for privatisation.
Although the strike ballot would formally be over pay and working conditions, it is alsowidely seen as an ‘anti-privatisation’ vote that could complicate the government’s privatisationplans. The CWU is strongly lobbying against the plan to float a majority stake in Royal Mail and tooffer staff free shares.
Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said today: “The current situation cannot go on.Postal workers are being squeezed in their workplaces, facing an uncertain future and changes totheir pensions. There hasn’t yet been a pay rise for staff this year despite healthy companyprofits of £403 million. But most importantly, we want protections for job security and terms andconditions and these are sadly lacking.”
He added: “The company only began to seriously negotiate with us following our consultativeballot in June, which showed 99 per cent of postal workers back the union’s position on pay, 96 percent are opposed to privatisation and 92 per cent are willing to take part in a boycott ofcompetitors’ mail and to withdraw cooperation on workplace changes.”
Royal Mail has not yet responded to the CWU vote but already warned last week that any strikeaction would harm the business. The company noted that talks are ongoing and said it has offeredthe union a three-year agreement and is “committed” to seeking an agreement that “equips thebusiness for the future and is fair to our employees”.
