Posties will be balloted for strike

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 23 Oct 2008, 15:44

http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/new ... or_strike/

POSTAL workers in Lymm are to be balloted on strike action again after a Royal Mail u-turn.

Bosses from Royal Mail were in talks with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) to relocate the sorting office in the village after it was earmarked for closure.

But staff have now been told the current Bridgewater Street base will be closed on November 10 and the service moved to Altrincham.

Dave Thomas, from the CWU, says members will now be balloted for strike action.

He added: “We believe we have an extremely sensible suggestion for keeping the facility in Lymm.

“We need to be sending the message to Royal Mail that this is not acceptable.

“Our position has not changed and we have never moved from it.

“We believe that this move to Altrincham will decimate postal services in the village.

“We do not want to inconvenience the public but we believe the support we have from them will recognise the need for no pain, no gain.”

The last ballot for strike action, held when the sorting office was originally listed for closure earlier in the year, came back with a 100 per cent vote in favour of a walkout.

Post by **dvbuk55** » 23 Oct 2008, 16:54

How big is this sorting office? They keep saying it's a village. When they say there was a 100% vote to strike I somehow get the feeling this is a very small office.

heapsy · Post by **heapsy** » 23 Oct 2008, 17:50

dvbuk55 wrote:How big is this sorting office? They keep saying it's a village. When they say there was a 100% vote to strike I somehow get the feeling this is a very small office.

17 staff, iv'e been told by someone closer.

Post by **Lounge Lizard** » 23 Oct 2008, 18:27

heapsy wrote:
dvbuk55 wrote:How big is this sorting office? They keep saying it's a village. When they say there was a 100% vote to strike I somehow get the feeling this is a very small office.
17 staff, iv'e been told by someone closer.

Lymm has a population of 10,522, so probably about 5,000 houses, so that's one postman for every 300 or so houses which might be about right if some of them are part-timers.

Post by **dvbuk55** » 23 Oct 2008, 19:04

heapsy wrote:
dvbuk55 wrote:How big is this sorting office? They keep saying it's a village. When they say there was a 100% vote to strike I somehow get the feeling this is a very small office.
17 staff, iv'e been told by someone closer.

Thanks heapsy - very timely info there. I think this will just be the tip of the iceberg many smaller places will go as being not viable, despite the fact that they have probably been running for donkeys years.

BELIAL · Post by **BELIAL** » 23 Oct 2008, 20:53

Sign of the times; mailcenter here mailcenter there, this sorting office that sorting office,EA here Ea there and not a national union response to be seen . Looks a bit like every man for himself and the membership hung out to dry. I'd be so happy to be proved wrong but what is actually occurring seems to make that unlikely

Notice that the "defend our pensions" campaign banner has been dropped from the CWU website,guess the leadership are happy with end of final salary and five years more graft? Any news,not getting any younger

Post by **dvbuk55** » 23 Oct 2008, 21:15

BELIAL wrote:Sign of the times; mailcenter here mailcenter there, this sorting office that sorting office,EA here Ea there and not a national union response to be seen . Looks a bit like every man for himself and the membership hung out to dry. I'd be so happy to be proved wrong but what is actually occurring seems to make that unlikely
Notice that the "defend our pensions" campaign banner has been dropped from the CWU website,guess the leadership are happy with end of final salary and five years more graft? Any news,not getting any younger

To be fair they are lobbying people, nobody who matters of course, nobody with any influence but the lobbying goes on - I imagine some sort of resolution will be found, long after I've retired of course.

k979aaa · Post by **k979aaa** » 23 Oct 2008, 21:15

BELIAL wrote:Sign of the times; mailcenter here mailcenter there, this sorting office that sorting office,EA here Ea there and not a national union response to be seen . Looks a bit like every man for himself and the membership hung out to dry. I'd be so happy to be proved wrong but what is actually occurring seems to make that unlikely
Notice that the "defend our pensions" campaign banner has been dropped from the CWU website,guess the leadership are happy with end of final salary and five years more graft? Any news,not getting any younger

If you look on the CWU website DAVE WARD actually says the agreement last year is responsible for the half year increase in profits!. It seams that the union is singing the prasies of their failure to gain an agreement that benifits the whole of the membership and improve our terms and conditions and not degrade them further!.

Post by **dvbuk55** » 23 Oct 2008, 22:07

I always felt that the agreement was duplicitous and that the union had in fact agreed to the denigration of the pension. Look at the state of affairs at the moment, modernisation for it's own sake and smaller offices picked off with closures and lack of representation. The odd thing is even lower ranking union bods are saying "you aren't seeing the big picture" - well in truth at shop floor level we are only concerned with the immediate picture and how it affects that. I am of the opinion that we are no longer being represented at the lowest level adequately let alone at national level. That is a sign of the times because the membership has been fragmented with more and more part timers, non union members and an undermining of the union by an aggressive management which the union does not seem to be able to negotiate with or stifle.

heapsy · Post by **heapsy** » 24 Oct 2008, 21:01

dvbuk55 wrote:
heapsy wrote:
dvbuk55 wrote:How big is this sorting office? They keep saying it's a village. When they say there was a 100% vote to strike I somehow get the feeling this is a very small office.
17 staff, iv'e been told by someone closer.
Thanks heapsy - very timely info there. I think this will just be the tip of the iceberg many smaller places will go as being not viable, despite the fact that they have probably been running for donkeys years.

Officially yes, it is a village, but has had quite a bit of new build houses go up, and has a few farms and small industrial sites.

Post by **dvbuk55** » 25 Oct 2008, 17:19

heapsy wrote:
dvbuk55 wrote:
heapsy wrote:
dvbuk55 wrote:How big is this sorting office? They keep saying it's a village. When they say there was a 100% vote to strike I somehow get the feeling this is a very small office.
17 staff, iv'e been told by someone closer.
Thanks heapsy - very timely info there. I think this will just be the tip of the iceberg many smaller places will go as being not viable, despite the fact that they have probably been running for donkeys years.
Officially yes, it is a village, but has had quite a bit of new build houses go up, and has a few farms and small industrial sites.

Like all things official big is beautiful, except of course it doesn't always suit the purpose, my advice to the Lymm colleagues would be don't prolong a strike, because the inevitable is more than likely to happen. I was once in a similar situation in a different industry and was moved 10 miles up the road but still covering the same area - 8 years later I was moved back - 8 years later was about to be moved back again - took a handsome leaving package and eventually ended up with RM.