Union leaders in strike threat to save mail depot

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http://tinyurl.com/2eq2p4l

Nov 5 2007

By Helen Thomas


UNION leaders have warned of further postal strikes if plans to close the Coventry mail depot in Bishop Street go ahead.

Members of the Communication Workers' Union have spoken of their disappointment after Royal Mail confirmed it would be continuing with plans to combine services in Coventry, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire with a new mail centre in the Northampton area.

CWU leaders and Royal Mail managers met in London yesterday to discuss the current situation.

Speaking to the Telegraph on his way back from the meeting, Mick Kavanagh, Coventry branch chairman of the CWU, said: "We are disappointed they are still refusing to accept that we should keep a mail centre in Coventry.

"We are frustrated because we believe quite strongly they haven't taken any notice of the public, our customers or their own staff.

"We are seriously considering our position."

He added: "We will be talking to members on where we take this now. If we have got to take industrial action, we will."

Mr Kavanagh said he and other union leaders are adamant to keep fighting the decision to close the Coventry mail depot, a move which he says would lead to up to 500 job losses.

"We believe Royal Mail is acting disgracefully and we are not going to sit back and allow this to carry on," he said. "We put forward an option which would keep a centre in Coventry and a centre in Northampton but they have not accepted this option.

"Quite clearly, we need the public's support if they want to retain a service in Coventry and Warwickshire."

He believes Royal Mail has already chosen a site for the new mail depot but is refusing to tell the CWU.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said yesterday's meeting was a chance for the area general manager to update the CWU on its plans but denied it had decided on a new site for the combined mail centre.

He said: "Our plans remain the same, to relocate to a new site. We announced last year our plans to combine the Northamptonshire and Coventry operations in a new site. The Northamptonshire area would be our preferred place.

"Our intentions have not changed. However, we are still going through the process of securing a site and no site has been identified yet."

Last month, postal workers in Coventry staged two 48-hour strikes as part of a national dispute over pay and changes to working conditions. Further strikes were cancelled after an agreement was struck with Royal Mail.