Post Office strike: Pickets in Guildford and Woking as union members join protest

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey- ... s-11889617" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Members of the Communication Workers Union have walked out after voting overwhelmingly for industrial action

Thousands of Post Office workers were staging a 24-hour strike on Thursday in a dispute over branch closures, jobs and pensions.

According to the Communication Workers Union (CWU), there was due to be strike action at all Surrey branches after members voted overwhelmingly in favour.

Unite members who work as managerial staff were also set to strike, with pickets being held in Guildford and Woking .

Post Office branches were likely to be closed unless staffed by non-union members of CWU or Unite.

The strikes were announced last Thursday (September 8) when the union warned of an ongoing dispute over jobs, services and pensions, saying the Post Office was at a crisis point.

Speaking at the time, CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: "The Post Office is relentlessly pursuing a programme of cuts that will mean a further 2,000 job losses, staff being left tens of thousands of pounds worse off in retirement and the privatisation of its flagship branches.

"The Post Office has got to get out of the cycle of closures, job losses and attacks on staff terms and conditions. It needs a serious plan to grow revenues in areas like financial services.

"Other countries have brought in hugely successful Post Banks. There is no reason why our Post Office should be the world leader in managed decline."

Britain's biggest union Unite said its 732 managerial members would also walk out over similar issues affecting the way the Post Office was being run.

Unite officer Brian Scott said: "Unite's members voted strongly for industrial action in protest at the Post Office decision to close the defined salary pension scheme.

"The pension issue needs to be seen against the backdrop of continuing redundancies and the latest franchising of 20 Crown post offices, which are a result of the failure of top management to have a viable and sustainable business plan to secure services for the public and jobs for the workforce in the future.

"We are also very concerned that the government is supporting the closure of the pension scheme, while refusing to provide the necessary funding for the Post Office going forward.

"Ultimately, the British public will suffer as they see the services offered by a much-loved institution being eroded by neglect from the top."

The Post Office said it was "disappointed" by the call for industrial action and would work to prevent any disruption during the strikes.

Kevin Gilliland, Post Office’s Network and Sales Director, said: “We are making steady progress to modernise the UK’s biggest retail network.

"These changes are needed to make our services better for customers and ensure that Post Office branches thrive at the heart of communities for future generations.

“We halved our losses in 2015/16 and are making steady progress to reduce costs to the taxpayer by making our business simpler to run and modernising our network, which is now at its most stable for decades.

“Over 99% of people in the UK live within three miles of a Post Office branch. To secure that level of service for the future, there has been significant investment over the past few years to modernise the business and the branch network."