Many strike ballots for post workers

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A growing mood for national strike action in the post can be seen by the number of CWU union branches that have requested strike ballots in recent weeks.

They join the dozens of offices that have already won votes for action – and the thousands of workers in London and Edinburgh who struck last week.

Dave Wilshire, the secretary of the Bristol branch of the CWU union, told Socialist Worker that the union there is determined to stop management from unilaterally imposing cuts and breaking national agreements.

“We’ve got live ballots at three of our delivery offices already and we expect to serve notice to Royal Mail of ballots at another two this week,” he said.

“We are going to be pushing for action at all other delivery offices across the city and at the mail centre.”

Dave says that an offer by the national union to Royal Mail to suspend all industrial action if bosses hold off from their attacks has come to nothing.

“Management aren’t interested in a moratorium on these issues,” he said. “There’s no sign of them backing off, neither nationally or locally.

“My branch’s position is that if there is no sign of a climbdown from Royal Mail by 2 July, then we should be pushing for a national strike.

“These issues are affecting our members up and down the country and they can’t be sorted out in a piecemeal fashion.

“Deputy general secretary Dave Ward told our union conference earlier this month that we are going to draw a line in the sand that we will not allow management to cross.

“If he’s serious about that, a national ballot must be announced very soon.”

The following should be read alongside this article:
» Action strikes a blow to Royal Mail

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