UK Post Office workers plan further strikes before and after Christmas to protest againstplanned job cuts following the first round of industrial action last week.
The four days of strike action over the festive period have been set for 23rd, 24th, 31stDecember and 2nd January, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) announced this week.
Last week’s strikes involved workers responsible for distributing cash and providing vitalsupport services to all post offices in the UK. However, no agreement acceptable for the union wasreached in talks that followed the strikes.
The union also plans to organise ballots for staff working in crown post offices in Januaryasking them to take part in further industrial action.
The pay dispute and the associated job losses currently concern 1,500 employees working in theadmin and supply chain divisions, where 28% of jobs could be lost, the CWU said.
Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “We will continue with our plans for furtherindustrial action until the Post Office removes the very real threat of compulsory redundanciesfrom negotiations. There are no circumstances under which we would accept compulsory redundanciesof workers in the Admin and Supply Chain.
“These workers risk their lives every day to do their jobs. Last week’s strike demonstrated thestrength of feeling amongst the workers with large picket lines across the country. This is acrucial dispute and these workers understand how real the threat of compulsory redundancies is totheir futures,” he added.
In response to last week’s strikes, the Post Office issued a statement claiming that the strikeaction didn’t involve workers employed at the 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK. However,it condemned the strike action calling CWU ‘irresponsible’ and urged the union to reconsider itsoffer of 6% pay increases over three years which it called ‘fair and affordable’. Otherwise, anindependent expert could be deployed to settle the dispute through a transparent process of bindingarbitration, the Post Office proposed.
The Post Office said its pay offer follows the same self-funding principle as the deal agreedwith the CWU earlier this year for people working across the Post Office’s Crown network. The firststage of the three-year pay deal suggests a 2.1% consolidated pay increase for 2014/15 effectivefrom 1st April 2014 and lump sum payments for people working in Post Office Supply Chain of up to£700 to be paid between January and March 2015. The second stage foresees a basic pay increase in2015/16 and 2016/17 of 1.9% respectively and lump sum payments for Post Office Supply Chain workersof £500 payable in December 2015 and £200 payable in December 2016
Keith Rann, Head of Supply Chain, said: “The CWU’s claims we are imposing widespread compulsoryredundancies are simply untrue. We must make changes to reduce our reliance on public money andsustain our business, and we cannot meet their unrealistic demands for the taxpayer to pay for thecontinuous employment of people who we cannot find a role for within our business. We will ofcourse be working closely with our people to ensure that they are treated fairly and fullyconsulted on all the options available to them.”
Referring to the 28% job losses mentioned by the CWU, Post Office countered: “The union’sfigures are inaccurate – fewer than 5% of CWU represented colleagues are affected by the proposalsto make changes across its Admin and Supply Chain.”
