Fight for Whitstable delivery office is not over

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BATTLING postal workers are calling on the town to back a day-long strike aimed at preventing the closure of the Whitstable delivery office.

They insist moving the service to Canterbury is not a "done deal" and want residents to wear red and join the picket line today.

Campaigners – including local politicians – will hold up 34 letters spelling a message in a Mexican wave to the Royal Mail which will be uploaded onto YouTube.

There will be a peaceful protest at the Royal Mail delivery office in Cromwell Road from 9am.

There will be various speakers, plus music from Nagasaki 3, Nigel Hobbins and Friends and the Funky Pluckers Ukelele Band until the start of a march through the town at 11am.

The organisers also hope to persuade more politicians and celebrities to join the action. The route runs from Cromwell Road to Harbour Street and then on to High Street and Oxford Street.

There will be further speakers after the march until the protest disbands at 1pm.

At the time of going to press, campaigners were contacting TV celebrities and high-profile politicians to invite them to give their support.

Chris Stone, union rep for the Communication Workers Union, said shutting the Cromwell Road office would mean a worse service for customers. He added: "This is not about better pay or conditions. We are doing it to maintain the service in Whitstable and we believe we have the overwhelming support of the community.

"This whole thing is to make the business smaller and leaner for future privatisation. It has nothing to do with the service – and as local postal workers our job is to make sure we maintain the service.

"Whitstable has its own character and a unique bunch of postal workers. What is important for us is our personal connection with our customers."

The last strike – organised in 24 hours – had 50 people on the picket line. This time he is hoping for more than 100. We hope to make it a bright, colourful and enjoyable affair with lots of singing and plenty of laughter. If you agree with our action please come along," said Mr Stone.

Whitstable resident Julie Wassmer, who is helping organise the event, said: "Royal Mail may think that this move is a 'done deal' but it would be wrong to do so. This is not the end, it's the beginning of a new phase of opposition played out before the national media to highlight the lunacy of Royal Mail's proposal."

Independent businesses in the high street are expected to give their support. Campaigners claim they will have letter deliveries delayed by at least half an hour if the move goes ahead.

The Whitstable office is scheduled to close in March and services will relocate to Canterbury. When this happened in Herne Bay earlier this year, customers complained about having to get to Canterbury to collect undelivered parcels.

The Royal Mail says the move is second phase of a £70 million modernisation programme. The first phase had all sorting offices in Kent combined in a super centre in Rochester.

Delivery director Ray Tompsett responded to criticism that postal workers swapping their bicycles for vans to drive to and from Canterbury was bad for the environment.

He told the Whitstable Times that operating from fewer sites across Kent would significantly reduce its vehicle mileage and carbon emissions.

"The changes ensure we have the capability to provide a first class service to our customers now and in the future," he said.

The Royal Mail claims talks with the union started in June 2010 and the closures were part of a modernisation package agreed by union officials.

But campaigners dispute this, saying the union had agreed to a super sorting office in Medway, but not to delivery office closures, which must be decided on a case-by- case basis.

Lib Dem Canterbury city councillor James Flanagan travelled to London on Tuesday to meet Royal Mail public affairs manager James Mitchell to discuss the Whitstable situation.

Councillor Flanagan said: "I am very concerned about the impact the delivery office closure will have on postal services in Whitstable.

"With postal staff being asked to travel daily to and fro from Canterbury, this will have a serious effect on traffic levels and pollution between both towns."