Snow fun as UK Royal Mail staff are frozen out
Royal Mail was accused yesterday of freezing out hundreds of sales staff to finance big pay rises and free trips to Iceland for employees retained or promoted under a shakeup.
Union leaders condemned the organisation as insensitive over plans to cut about 350 of the 850-strong sales team while increases of up to 60% go to remaining workers who must apply for new posts.
Under the plans for a three-tier management layer of “partnership directors”, the highest grade will be paid £74,000 a year plus a potential 30% bonus and given a company car and private medical insurance. Fifty staff are to be selected for £1,000 per head long weekends to Reykjavik.
The row strained fragile relations with union negotiators after 160,000 delivery and sorting office staff unexpectedly rejected strikes over pay. The Communication Workers Union’s postal union executive meet today to discuss stoppages in a separate London weighting dispute after workers in the capital voted to strike.
Royal Mail said the job losses, wage rises and holiday prizes were part of a drive to compete with rival operators in the private sector.
A CWU official said: “On under £200 per week take-home, most of our members cannot afford to go to the frozen food store Iceland – let alone Iceland the country.”
Brian Scott, the assistant general secretary of the Amicus white collar union, said: “This is a crass and stupid waste of money. While the lucky few play in the snow, Royal Mail is losing £750,000 a day and many of our people are being frozen out.”
A Royal Mail spokesman said the holidays were for employees who handled huge accounts. “People need to be paid market rates to ensure that we retain and attract the best people for the job.”
