Strike threat in Royal Mail pay row
Postal workers will be balloted for nationwide strikes unless a row over pay is resolved by next month, union leaders warned today.
The Communication Workers Union gave Royal Mail a deadline for making progress on a dispute which has flared after the company decided to impose a 2.9% wage rise on postal workers.
In a letter to CWU members today, the union said it was “totally opposed” to the Royal Mail’s behaviour.
Industrial relations have suffered in recent weeks after the union accused Royal Mail of trying to disrupt a ballot it was holding on future strategies covering pay, working conditions and pensions.
The leadership has tabled a motion to next week’s annual conference of the CWU in Bournemouth urging the Royal Mail to reopen negotiations and to allow postal workers to have a vote on a final settlement.
Officials also wanted the Royal Mail and the Government to tackle the organisation’s huge pension fund deficit.
“If acceptable progress is not made on the above objectives by four weeks after conference, we will implement a nationwide ballot for industrial action,” said today’s letter, signed by general secretary Billy Hayes and his deputy, Dave Ward.
“We have offered Royal Mail the opportunity to continue discussions and we remain determined to achieve a negotiated settlement.
“However, Royal Mail’s prevailing attitude continues to be aggressive. They will intensify their tactics to drive a wedge between the union and its members and turn member against member.”
The officials said they feared the Royal Mail’s business plan would lead to 40,000 job cuts, full-time posts being converted to part-time, and claimed that “back door privatisation” was being used as a replacement for higher pay.
“In the last few days we have been inundated with members asking us what the union intends to do. Now you all know,” said the union.
The Royal Mail has said that postal workers were entitled to the 2.9% pay rise, which had been backdated to April.
The organisation has denied any plans to privatise the service.
The Government today maintained it had not made any decision on whether to back a Royal Mail plan to issue shares to its workers.
The idea, strongly supported by Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton, has alarmed the union, which believes it would be a first step to privatising the postal service.
New Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling said today he would not be rushed into making any decision on whether to support the move.
