Royal Mail in talks over Kent delivery office

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Royal Mail is in discussion with the Communication Workers Union today in the hope of preventing strike action from disrupting operations in the south east of England.

The CWU says the talks are being held by regional negotiating teams regarding the closure of the Whitstable delivery office in Kent.

It says strike action is set to take place on Saturday in protest at the plans to close the office and move about 50 postmen and women to the Canterbury delivery office.

As well as the mail carriers having to travel to Canterbury and back to pick up mail for delivery in the Whistable area, the union said Royal Mail’s plans would mean Whitstable residents having to go to Canterbury to pick up undelivered items.

The union representing 150,000 Royal Mail workers, claimed that Royal Mail management was refusing to stick to agreed processes for determining office closures.

Dave Banbury, the Kent branch secretary for the CWU, said the union wanted Royal Mail to stick to an agreement made last year concerning closure procedures.

“We’re hoping that the talks today will bring this back on track,” he said. “Ultimately we want to save Whitstable delivery office as there doesn’t appear to be a strong business case for moving it to Canterbury.”

Banbury said closing the Whitstable delivery office would mean more traffic on the roads in the morning rush-hour, and delays in deliveries reaching the town.

“People want a local service and the one we’ve got now works,” he said.

Local residents have been backing the campaign to keep the Whitstable delivery office open according to the union, which said residents and Royal Mail customers were expected to join striking postal workers on Saturday.

A petition calling for a rethink over the Whitstable delivery office closure has attracted more than 5,000 signatures.

[chooch]

BUMP

Must try Harder..

'A petition calling for a rethink over the Whitstable delivery office closure has attracted more than 5,000 signatures. '

Come on Chris (Stone) we got over 10,000 ( our *****direct.org says we've 'a population of approximately 30,000 represented by 16 Councillors in four wards')

whilst Home.co.uk states 'The average price of a detached house (in *********) is over £900,000 as of January 2012.

so it wasn't as though we didn't have punching power..

It was a done deal before anyone was informed.