Colchester Postal workers could strike

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/4475 ... ld_strike/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

POSTIES are threatening to strike over planned changes to working practices.

A new system means workers can be ordered to stay on if they finish their rounds early.

It is being trialled to deal with staff absences at Colchester sorting office.

There were reports of booing and banging on tables when the move, designed to reduce overtime payments, was announced to 300 delivery workers.

Unions have agreed to go along with the trial today and tomorrow, as the start of the week sees a lighter workload at the Eastgates office, which serves the whole of the CO postcode area.

However, a wildcat strike may be launched on Saturday if managers perservere.

One postman, who refused to be named, told the Gazette: “I work hard and when I have finished walking the streets for three-and-a-half hours with a heavy pack, I am ready to go home.

“If they force me to do extra, I will refuse, and I think plenty of others will do the same.”

The changes come at a time when there are plans to axe 50 jobs at the site, with routes redesignated.

Saturday’s planned strike could see workers completing half-shifts, coming in to sort the mail but leaving it undelivered.

The postman added: “I enjoy my work and meeting the customers, but I am afraid people will end up resenting us as standards will continue to decline.”

Royal Mail spokesman Nick Martens said: “Staff are simply being asked to work the hours they are paid for, as per our agreement with the union in 2007.

“It is totally untrue that anyone is forced to do overtime.”

[rogue]

so they are going to do it all week but if they dont stop it saturday they will walk out.
absolute b#######
get a backbone and say NO now and join the rest of the division

[Kevan Pugh]

so they are going to do it all week but if they dont stop it saturday they will walk out.
absolute b#######
get a backbone and say NO now and join the rest of the division

This report from the Colchester Gazette contained some inacurate points, firstly the CWU did not agree to the trial, quite the oposite. Since this post things have moved on a bit and we requested authority to ballot in the whole of the CO Area a couple of weeks back.

Comments I made, on the record as the local rep got mixed up with a disgruntled members comments, I do not know who this was so can not comment as to why it got confused but the cross over of comments to an 'insider' clearly look confused, wildcat stikes, planned in advance, how does that work. That may have been how it was reported, but not how it was.

I think the comments about backbone are a bit unfair to be honest, and unless you actually know what is going on in the Colchester area it may be best not to comment at all, especially if this is done under a veil.

Should any CWU member wish to know what was actually going on at the time in Colchester please just let me know and I will send you a copy of the newsletters that we circulated at that time, I am also happy to forward a recent press release that put the recod straight, indeed we invited the local paper to Colchester DO only this week so we could give a more rounded picture of the dispute.

Naturally it remains to be seen in MY members have the required backbone this time around, when we last tested their backbones to any degree during the 2007 dispute they mostly looked ok to me with unprecidented levels of support in the CO postcode area.

For example, in Colchester DO itself only one (yes one) persons backbone was found to be defective on the last two strike days. If their collective backbones are found to be wanting this time it will certainly not be though a lack of effort on our part. Please think before you post

I hope this helps to clarify things a bit

Regards

Kevan Pugh, Branch Secretary, and Local Rep Colchester
Colchester & District Branch CWU