Royal Mail Strike Q&A

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Before anyone blames for the inaccuracies on this I am posting it straight from

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... 588213.ece

What strike action is hitting the postal service?

This is the second, and biggest, wave of national strike action in a dispute which stretches back to the spring. The main postal union is to strike for two days starting at noon today and then again for two days starting Monday morning. After that it will mount selective action across Royal Mail’s operations. Two one-day strikes have already been held in July and the Communication Workers Union has mounted a month of selective walkouts at various operations in the postal network.

Why is it happening?

Royal Mail and the CWU are at odds over pay and pensions. Royal Mail has offered a 2.5 per cent one-year pay increase. The CWU wants to bring postal workers’ pay into line with the national average wage of £395 a week within five years — a rise of 27 per cent. Royal Mail also wants to end the final-salary pension scheme for all employees. This move is threatening to provoke additional strikes from its managers.

Will it affect postal voting if there is an election?

If the strike continues and a general election is called it will have serious implications for postal voting. Local authorities may be able to assist in delivering ballot papers to people but the challenge will come in sending them back and how Royal Mail can ensure they are able to be prioritised amid the backlog of mail. Royal Mail has so far only described the issue as “hypotheticalâ€