Who loses most from a strike?

[Geezer]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 884336.ece

October 22, 0009
Who loses most from a strike?
The Royal Mail has a particular importance not just for the economy, but also because it forms a key element of our social infrastructure

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Sir, There are serious problems of efficiency, morale and management within the Royal Mail and industrial action will severely damage its reputation, image and business prospects. Yet the current crisis is being treated as just another industrial dispute (report, Oct 21).

The Royal Mail has a particular importance not just for the economy, but also because, as a national communication system, it forms a key element of our social infrastructure. This is surely the underlying reason for such public concern over the closure of post offices and the system overall.

I have seen no indication that the Government recognises that Royal Mail is special in this way. A much wider-ranging examination of the role of Royal Mail, its management and policies is required.

Christopher Swain
Henham, Essex

Sir, Daniel Finkelstein quotes a study which concluded that strikers need to work for 30 years in order to recoup the wages lost by striking (Oct 21). He is, however, mistaken in seeking to apply this to the CWU, which after every strike has demanded premium overtime rates in order to clear the backlog, enabling its members to recoup their losses on an altogether shorter timescale. That is why they are so opposed to Royal Mail’s proposal to recruit 30,000 casuals to clear the backlog this time.

John Cameron
Market Harborough, Leics