Bury St Edmunds post office staff ask for permission to strike

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Possible strike action is looming at Bury St Edmunds’ crown post office amid speculation the service is to be moved into neighbouring WHSmith.

Industrial action from the Bury St Edmunds post office staff looks increasingly likely, a union representative said yesterday.

Tim Pavelin, from the Communication Workers’ Union, said the union’s executive was deciding whether to ratify a request from its Bury members for potential strike action.

“It’s come from the staff that they would be prepared to be balloted to take industrial action because they fear for their jobs,” said Mr Pavelin, adding they felt they had not received answers to their questions from Post Office management.

He said there were seven full-time counter staff affected in Bury, all of whom were union members.

A petition to protect the Bury post office is rapidly approaching the 6,000-signature mark.

A statement issued last week by the Post Office announced the transfer of 61 of its branches to WHsmith, adding the move could take two forms.

Firstly, a franchise agreement would see all staff transfer over to WHSmith, with the retailer running the service.

Secondly, a hosting agreement would see the staff remain in the employment of the Post Office, with the Post Office still providing the service and keeping the profits. WHSmith would gain from the latter arrangement by attracting more footfall.

Whichever solution was adopted for Bury, the business would still be leaving the Cornhill base.

WHSmith currently operates 107 Post Office branches from their stores around the country.

Just over half of the 61 that transfer over are expected to be under the hosting arrangement.

“The plans will include some of the 39 directly-run crown post office branches that the Post Office announced proposals to franchise in January this year, but exact locations are yet to be confirmed,” said the Post Office.

Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells said: “We know that people place huge importance on the presence of a Post Office branch on their high street. Our collaboration with WHSmith will help to secure this, as well as bring new investment into the network.”

Roger Gale, general manager of the Post Office’s crown branch network said that WHSmith franchises had “improved customer service and brought benefits”.

“The vast majority of the Post Office’s network of 11,500 Post Office branches is already run on a franchise or agency basis,” he said.