Fresh Talks Aimed At Stopping Post Strike

[Geezer]

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7:12pm UK, Monday October 19, 2009

Adam Arnold, Sky News Online
Talks have been taking place between union leaders and Royal Mail bosses - aimed at averting a postal strike later this week.

The industrial action threatens to cause delivery havoc for millions of people.

A huge backlog of letters and parcels is expected if the planned stoppages go ahead on Thursday and Friday.

Royal Mail has confirmed it is to take on 30,000 temporary workers in the run-up to Christmas - an action described by the unions as "provocative".

Royal Mail said it would be trying to resolve the long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions during talks with Communication Workers Union (CWU) officials.

Sky's Paul Harrison said: "There's no secret that there is no love lost between the unions and Royal Mail.

"The fact though that they have, over the past few weeks and months, sat down face to face, and again today for eight hours, must perhaps be a good omen that both parties feel they don't want to go as far as strike action.

"It's not good for either of them and it's not good for the consumer. But it may well be a case of who blinks first."

There are strict laws that forbid employers and employment agencies using agency staff to break a lawful dispute and it is the job of Lord Mandelson's department to enforce those laws.



A company spokesman said: "Royal Mail has had around 80 meetings with the CWU in recent months and we are continuing to talk to the union to try to avert their totally unjustified strikes.

"In addition (chief executive) Adam Crozier has invited (CWU general secretary) Billy Hayes to meet him more than a dozen times and Billy Hayes has not even responded."

The firm has told Sky News it will call in conciliation service Acas to try to resolve its industrial dispute if unions agree to call off the strike.

Relations between the two sides became increasingly fractious over the weekend when Royal Mail announced it was hiring up to 30,000 temporary workers to cope with the walkouts and the Christmas rush.

CWU officials said they believed the move to hire strike staff was illegal and they received backing from other union leaders.

"We will be looking at the legal side of this and we are calling on recruitment agencies to be aware of the law if they are asked to supply temporary workers to the Royal Mail," said one CWU official.



Regulations amended in 2007 state that an employment business may not supply a temporary worker to a hirer to replace an individual taking part in an official strike or any other official industrial dispute.

Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB union, said: "It is beyond belief that in the very week Lord Mandelson has delayed employment rights for agency workers, his department has given the go-ahead for Royal Mail to hire 30,000 agency staff to break a lawful trade dispute.

"There are strict laws that forbid employers and employment agencies using agency staff to break a lawful dispute and it is the job of Lord Mandelson's department to enforce those laws."

Meanwhile, Nick Wells, chief executive of TNT Post UK, revealed his company was prepared to take on the national job, but admitted it would be "a massive challenge".

TNT relies on the Royal Mail for the final mile of its postal network but has completed a trial run in Liverpool which saw postmen in orange uniforms make door-to-door deliveries

[luckyllama]

If Billy has been asked to all these meetings why hasnt he gone, hes good at talking after all?

[postietaz]

what breaks they take ?????????????????????