Postal Workers' Union Announces New Strike

[boltonwestboy]

Source: Sky News

The postal workers' union has announced a new three-day strike from next Thursday.
A two-day national postal strike is already under way after last-ditch talks between the Royal Mail and union bosses broke down without agreement.

Mail deliveries across Britain are being disrupted as up to 120,000 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) walk out over pay, conditions and modernisation.

Thousands of staff members joined picket lines up and down the country as mail centre staff and drivers downed tools.

Up to 42,000 union members are set to stay away from work, with another 78,000 delivery and collection staff due to walk out on Friday.

The Prime Minister has urged postal workers and management to "sit round a table" and try to reach agreement.

Gordon Brown described the strike as "self-defeating" and "counter-productive".

He vowed the Government would do everything it could to resolve the long-running dispute, which has dealt a painful blow to small firms already hit hard by the recession.


Brown: Strike Could Be Self-Defeating

But the CWU claims the Government and Royal Mail have been colluding to prevent a deal being struck.

The union said "external forces" were trying to undermine the talks, singling out Royal Mail bosses Mark Higson and Adam Crozier and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson.

Scores of meetings have been held in recent months to try to reach a resolution but the CWU said the trio had not attended any of them.

However, Royal Mail said it had been willing to continue talks and had given the CWU "a reasoned and sensible proposal this morning which would have averted the immediate strike action".

It said the proposal would have "given our customers a much-needed period of calm in the run-up to Christmas".







Lord Mandelson told Sky News he did not believe any intervention from him would be welcomed and defended the Government's stance.

He said: "The position I've taken and the Government has taken I think is right.

"Both sides within the Royal Mail itself need to resolve this.

"They know what the issues are. They know what's got to be resolved.

"I would continue to urge them to do that before any further damage is done either to those who depend on the letters delivery service and before any further damage is done to the business of the Royal Mail."

[RoyalQuest]

Three day strikes?? Is this rotational or all out . if it's rotational what days for each site MC'S, Delivery , network, has this been announced yet?? If not when is it going to be announced? thanks for any info.

[terry1954]

As usual, information from the union to the members comes via Sky News. ... Perhaps the cause of the lack of progress in the "talks" is due poor communication by the union negotiators.

[Barry Trotter]

have the union actually announced this because I heard earlier they were expected to make an announcement and it would be three days next week but I havent yet seen anything or anyone from the CWU. just wondered if this was chinese whispers in the media.

[RoyalQuest]

as I have said before the communication from the CWU is absolutely terrible. solcombe or whatever his name is wants to pull his sock up as he's the head of communications, we pay our fees, where willing to support the cwu's decisions, at least keep us informed so we don't have hear it off news channels .

[carldarwen]

just heard it will be mail centres on thursday but just sorting and drivers . friday will be electronic sorters. sat will be delivery offices..

[disheartened]

So more strike days announced......lets hope both sides can get a deal sorted early next week.I have been talking to some of the lads & lasses at work and although its gonna hurt,i think most are prepared to sacrifice one days pay a week............BUT if the union were to announce 3 day strikes for each function i fear people would wilt and i dont think this would be restricted to just my office.

One day rolling strikes seem to be the best way to go.

[shelanda]

So more strike days announced......lets hope both sides can get a deal sorted early next week.I have been talking to some of the lads & lasses at work and although its gonna hurt,i think most are prepared to sacrifice one days pay a week............BUT if the union were to announce 3 day strikes for each function i fear people would wilt and i dont think this would be restricted to just my office.

One day rolling strikes seem to be the best way to go.

We are not out for whole 3 days only 1 MCs Thurs Electronic sorters Friday delivery Saturday, or were you looking further into the future?

[thepostie24]

If that is correct for next week,mail centers thurs electronic sorters fri and deliveries sat.Can someone tell me what an electronic sorter is and where they work from as i`ve not heard of that before.
Im sure if we can keep the rolling strikes going then RM will have to get a deal done soon as this useless labour govt will have to intervene to sort the mess out or it will be there death sentence before an election.

[disheartened]

So more strike days announced......lets hope both sides can get a deal sorted early next week.I have been talking to some of the lads & lasses at work and although its gonna hurt,i think most are prepared to sacrifice one days pay a week............BUT if the union were to announce 3 day strikes for each function i fear people would wilt and i dont think this would be restricted to just my office.

One day rolling strikes seem to be the best way to go.

We are not out for whole 3 days only 1 MCs Thurs Electronic sorters Friday delivery Saturday, or were you looking further into the future?

Yes me old mate,i was looking a little bit ahead

[Shrek]

A lot of lads snd lassies are going to be unhappy with delivery out on Saturday as it means the same people are on day off as this strike. This caused animosity the last time, for god sake the CWU Know how rotational days off work as it is how most of the business in delivery is done

[jojojo]

Shrek i agree with you.. its hardly fair that the same workers get the strike day on their day off.... this will cause anger. surely it would be better to have the same strike day every week so its fair for all workers

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Shrek i agree with you.. its hardly fair that the same workers get the strike day on their day off.... this will cause anger. surely it would be better to have the same strike day every week so its fair for all workers

Nope some offices are fixed days off like mine so it would be unfair on them, what they should have done I think is Friday this week - or Saturday next week and Thursday the week after (if it goes on that long) that way its fairly spread out but even then some will get a triple whamy and some will get a triple dodge. At my DO we are thinking of the the ones who have 2 days off that cover the strikes, pay for the BBQ and provisions for the rest. However, we had a big donation on the picket line which has taken care of that.

[borders]

If that is correct for next week,mail centers thurs electronic sorters fri and deliveries sat.Can someone tell me what an electronic sorter is and where they work from as i`ve not heard of that before.
Im sure if we can keep the rolling strikes going then RM will have to get a deal done soon as this useless labour govt will have to intervene to sort the mess out or it will be there death sentence before an election.

they manually code the addresses the machines {MTTs] cant recognise.

[The Ginger Warrior]

We were told on our picket line that it was gonna be deliveries going out on thursday and friday, then everything else saturday, apparently. :lfo :cfo
:mfo