CWU serves notice for Post Office strike ballot
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has served notice to the Post Office for a strike ballot of its 3,500 members who work in Crown post offices, supply chain depots and admin sites. The ballot will open next Monday (1 August) and the result will be announced on 19 August.
In a statement issued this morning (26 July), CWU said: “The ballot is in reaction to the company’s plans for wholesale privatisation of the crown network and widespread job losses – with 80 Crown post offices announced for closure already this year and up to 2,000 job losses planned across the business – in addition to the company’s decision to close the defined benefit pension scheme. The planned closures will reduce the crown post office network to around 230 offices.”
The Post Office has responded by saying that it was “disappointed” by the CWU decision’s to ballot for strike action.
In a statement sent to Post&Parcel, the Post Office said that it “wanted to work constructively with its unions as it continues to make vital changes to protect Post Office services for customers for years to come” – and it urged CWU to meet at ACAS to resolve the dispute.
The Post Office said that it has had to make changes in order to “ensure the business’s financial sustainability”, but it “understands that some of these changes are difficult for those affected by them”.
The Post Office also sought to “reassure” its customers that “no strike action has been called and that should any action take place it has contingency plans to minimise disruption to customer service”. It also stated that: “Postmasters and their teams working in 97% of the Post Office’s 11,600 branches will not be part of any ballot for strike action.”
The statement from the Post Office concluded with Kevin Gilliland, Post Office Network and Sales Director, saying: “We will give serious consideration to any ideas that the CWU put forward to help us create the Post Office network our customers need for the future and urge them to work in partnership with us to secure the future of our services.”
