Royal Mail staff in Essex to hold three-day strike

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Royal Mail staff in Essex to hold three-day strike starting tomorrow (Friday)

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HOUSEHOLDS in Harlow are unlikely be affected by the three-day strike action by Royal Mail staff.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will be taking 24-hour strike action tomorrow (Friday), Saturday and Monday following a dispute over what the CWU describe "as panic-driven cuts to jobs and services".

Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary said: "Postal workers are sick and tired of an incompetent management running their business into the ground. Workers are busier than ever and being treated badly. The current round of cuts in jobs and services is unacceptable."

The CWU says services across the UK, including London, Essex and East Anglia are to be affected with workers at the Essex Regional Distribution Centre taking action tomorrow (Friday). The strikes will be the most widespread action since the national walkout in 2007.

However, Royal Mail has said more than 90 per cent of staff nationally will continue to work normally and that the vast majority of customers' services will be operating normally over the next few days. Outside London only fewer than 10 of Royal Mail's 1500 offices are affected on Friday.

Paul Tolhurst, Royal Mail's operations director, said: "The CWU is again saying one thing and doing another - publicly they say they want modernisation yet they write regularly to members saying union policy is to oppose change on the ground - they agreed with us only last week a timetable for further talks on change yet they now announce a national strike ballot. Their behaviour beggars belief.