Postal strike to go ahead in London
UK postal workers are set to hold a 24-hour strike on 19 June over “arbitrary cuts which will damage services”.
UK postal workers are set to hold a 24-hour strike on 19 June over “arbitrary cuts which will damage services”.
About 10,000 workers will take part in the strike, called by the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU).
The union claims Royal Mail “refuses to negotiate change” and that they are ignoring part of an agreement made following strike action in 2007.
The agreement included plans to modernise the business, the union said, and added that Royal Mail are making cuts in costs without modernising.
Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “Royal Mail is blocking modernisation by refusing to negotiate change with the CWU.
“We have offered a moratorium on all strike action if Royal Mail will suspend executive action and enter into meaningful negotiations.
“We want to bring forward the successful transformation of the business by working together.”
But Royal Mail has slammed the strike as being “damaging” and “completely at odds with [CWU’s] repeated claim to support modernisation”.
A spokesman said: “In May, the union stated its belief that ‘investment in, and the pace of, modernisation needs to be stepped up’.
“We urge them to act accordingly and not to call our people out on strike action which can only hurt our customers and damage our drive to build a strong and sustainable future for Royal Mail – and to protect the universal service in the competitive marketplace.”
Royal Mail also called on unions to honour existing agreements, adding the company has already made the same changes in almost every delivery office outside London.
The spokesman added: “As mail volumes fall we need to make changes and become more efficient right across the UK.
“A strike will not modernise Royal Mail – it will simply disrupt the service to which customers are entitled, lead to an even greater loss of business and leave Royal Mail far less able to protect full time jobs.”
Further strike action is set to be announced if no progress is made.
