Tag: Royal Mail

The threat of the first national postal strike for a decade came a step closer today when union leaders decided to ballot 130,000 workers for industrial action in a bitter row over pay.

The Communication Workers Union said its members will decide over the next few weeks whether to launch a campaign of industrial action in protest at an imposed wage rise of 2.9%.

Ballot papers will be sent to postal workers on July 10 and the result will be known at the end of the month.

The threat of the first national postal strike for a decade came a step closer today when union leaders decided to ballot 130,000 workers for industrial action in a bitter row over pay.

The Communication Workers Union said its members will decide over the next few weeks whether to launch a campaign of industrial action in protest at an imposed wage rise of 2.9%.

Ballot papers will be sent to postal workers on July 10 and the result will be known at the end of the month.

The union’s deputy general secretary Dave Ward said the Royal Mail was being given a week to try to reach a deal, adding: “Royal Mail should be under no illusion that the CWU is prepared to take decisive action to defend the pay and future job security of our members.

“I would suggest that Royal Mail seize this opportunity and work hard to reach an acceptable agreement or a strike ballot will take place.”

The Royal Mail will this week meet hundreds of senior managers and their union representatives as the state-controlled postal giant seeks to prevent a walkout over pay.

Its chairman, Allan Leighton, and chief executive, Adam Crozier, will meet the staff on Wednesday and Thursday. Dave Ward, deputy general secretary at the Communication Workers Union (CWU), will also be present.

Mr Leighton and Mr Crozier have held meetings with their managers before, but this is the first time that union representatives have been invited to accompany them.

Postal unions are poised to call for the first national strike in a decade tomorrow after rejecting a pay deal with the Royal Mail following talks last week.

The postal executive of the Communication Workers Union is expected to recommend strike action to its 150,000 members when it meets tomorrow. The decision follows intensive talks over a 2.9 per cent pay offer that has been imposed on employees.

During negotiations on Friday between Royal Mail head of personnel Tony McCarthy and the CWU’s deputy general secretary Dave Ward, the Royal Mail offer was increased to around 3.5 per cent.

However, sources indicate that the deal did not include allowances and overtime. The union claims this reduces the value of the offer considerably, and that the membership will support calls for industrial action.