UK Post Union plans lightning strikes
Postal union leaders are developing plans for a series of short, sharp, targeted stoppages in mail deliveries if their members vote for strike action in the pay dispute with the Royal Mail.
The Communication Workers’ Union leadership wants to maximise the impact of strike action while minimising the potential for long-term damage to their members and RM itself.
Last week 160,000 members of the CWU received ballot papers, and the strike vote result will be known on 17 September. Union sources and independent observers agree that a vote to strike is almost inevitable. But a long-term national stoppage is unlikely, as it would trigger provisions that lift restrictions on competition with RM by other licensed operators for up to three months, and could lead to intervention by Ministers. Regulations in licences held by competitors, of which there are currently four, state that if three major mail centres are closed by strikes, restrictions on their activities would be raised.
A senior CWU source said: ‘We don’t want to damage the service, and industrial action would be a last resort. But it would be a series of one-day stoppages. Stoppages could occur in different parts of the country or different functions a mail centre one day, and deliveries the next – to disrupt the mail flow for longer periods than just a day.’
Last week talks between the CWU and RM at Acas collapsed. The CWU is asking for an 8% increase with no strings attached. RM’s offer is for only 4.5%, with another 10% dependent on productivity targets.
