Huge disruption as UK postal workers strike

Thousands of postal workers walked out on strike, causing huge disruption to mail deliveries, with the threat of further action to come.

About 25,000 members of the Communication Workers Union in London were taking part in a 24-hour strike in a long-running dispute over allowances.

Picket lines were mounted outside mail centres across the capital and strikers said they were receiving good support from other workers and members of the public.

The Royal Mail urged people not to post letters in London, and admitted it could take several days to clear the backlog of post caused by the strike.

The union said the response to the walk-out had been “solid”, despite accusations that managers had been threatening some workers with the sack if they took part in the industrial action.

Carl Madden, who was on the picket line outside a mail centre at Nine Elms in south London, predicted there would be a huge backlog of mail because of the strike.

He said extra managers were being drafted in to try to cover for the strikers but he believed they would have little impact on dealing with post today.

“We hope that today’s strike will send a strong message to the company and that we can now get back around the negotiating table.”

Mr Madden said workers would be prepared to take further industrial action.

Sorting offices in London usually handle 16 million letters a day out of a national total of 82 million.

The union is seeking a London weighting allowance of £4,000 a year, but the Royal Mail has warned it has no more money to offer.

Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier described the strike as “madness” and warned it could cost the company up to £10 million pounds.

The offer of an extra £300 a year would put postmen and women in the capital in the top third of any London weighting league table, he said.