More than 9,000 postal workers in London and also Edinburgh went on strike on Friday in protest atoperational cuts and changes in working practices.
The Communication Workers Union, putting the number of workers on strike at over 9,000,described the staff turnout as “absolutely rock solid.” Deputy general secretary Dave Ward toldprotestors outside the Royal Mail head office that the union will “fight every inch of the way” indefence of postal workers’ rights and to save the ‘vital public service’.
Rejecting claims by the company that the union opposes modernisation, he insisted that theCWU fully backs the goal of a modern and successful Royal Mail. “But the CWU wants change byagreement, while Royal Mail wants to impose change by diktat,” he claimed, accusing management of“doing the government’s bidding and trying to privatise Royal Mail at the same time.”
Royal Mail, however, said the CWU’s strike action in London and other recent actions wascompletely at odds with its repeated claim to support modernisation and “to introduce new ways ofworking throughout the business”. The UK postal operator said about a third of operational staffwere collecting, sorting and delivering the mail on Friday, supported by some 1,400 managementvolunteers. The capital’s three largest offices were not called out on strike.
“With productivity in London offices lagging behind the rest of the country – and in someparts of the capital by up to 35% below the best in other UK regions – it’s clear the CWU shouldhonour fully existing agreements, including the agreement the union leadership signed in thepresence of the TUC in 2007, which have led to the successful introduction of new ways of workingin units throughout the rest of the UK,” Royal Mail stated.
Royal Mail said it had already made similar changes in many delivery offices outside Londonand was asking no more of employees in the capital than in the rest of the UK. “As mail volumesfall and the type of mail we are carrying changes, we must urgently adapt and become more efficientright across the country.”
Parcelforce Worldwide services were unaffected by the strike action.
