Whitstable postal staff vote for action to save office

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POSTAL workers are spending the festive break planning the next step in their campaign after a ballot revealed union members were overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action.

The result of the vote by Whitstable posties angry at plans to shut the town's delivery office was 23 to three in favour of action.

The Herne Bay delivery office has already closed, meaning staff have to travel to Canterbury every day to collect mail and customers must also make the journey to collect parcels.

Chris Stone, union rep for the Communication Workers Union, said he was delighted with the ballot result.

He said: "It is the right thing for postal workers and the right thing for the people.

"This result sends a clear message to Royal Mail that we mean business. In spite of what the Royal Mail might say, we were never given anything that could properly be described as a meaningful consultation on this move.

"In spite of all our attempts to engage with them, they have fobbed us off so this is our chance to show Royal Mail how strongly we feel."

Union members are meeting tonight at Whitstable Labour Club to discuss what form the action should take, and campaigner Julie Wassmer said they had the support of the town.

More than 50 people attended a rally outside the delivery office in Cromwell Road last week.

She said: "I happened to be in the Victoria arcade in Harbour Street when Chris phoned me with the news.

"Other people overheard my delighted reaction and came up to say how pleased they were to know that the posties had voted in favour of industrial action.

"I think Royal Mail should consider this as a suitable combined Christmas present from the people of Whitstable and our postal workers.

"Let's now see if industrial action, allied to popular support from a community of tens of thousands of people here in Whitstable, will finally stop them trying to steamroller this move through."

Royal Mail officials said the move was part of a £70 million project to modernise the business across Kent, including building a state-of-the-art mail centre in Rochester.

Delivery director Ray Tompsett said: "These changes will ensure that we significantly reduce our vehicle mileage and carbon emissions overall across Kent as we operate from fewer sites.

"They also ensure we have the capability to provide a first class service to our customers now and in the future."

He said talks with the union started in June 2010 and the closures were part of the modernisation plan agreed by union officials.