Postal workers threaten wave of strikes
Postal workers are threatening a wave of 24-hour national strikes unless Consignia gives in to their demands on new delivery times.
The Communication Workers Union has given Consignia, which runs the Royal Mail, until the end of today to respond to its request that the operator should test several new delivery structures.
The issue has become a sticking point that has prevented the union from ratifying a package that includes pay increases and a job security agreement. Consignia wants the union’s approval so it can announce the next stage of redundancies as it seeks to cut Pounds 1.2bn of costs.
A CWU official said the union was opposed to the company’s insistence that a four-hour delivery timetable be the only span tested. It wants a shorter period to be checked, arguing it could save jobs. “We don’t want our members working on the streets for too long. We agreed with Royal Mail a four-hour delivery plan and said we’d trial alternatives. They said No. We’re going back to Acas. If Consignia doesn’t respond positively, then the union executive will on Tuesday discuss the possibility of a 24-hour strike, one of a possible series,” said the official.
Postal workers have already backed industrial action in a ballot held earlier this year and would not have to vote again. A decision on delivery spans could affect the pay award that has been put to the union’s members, however.
The CWU official added that the union did not want to unpick a recent agreement with Consignia on voluntary redundancies that protected jobs and pay.
