Coventry MPs bid to halt postal strike

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/c ... -22470376/

CITY MPs will hold urgent talks with Royal Mail bosses in a bid to stop a Christmas walk-out by postal workers.

Up to 1,000 staff at Coventry’s Bishop Street sorting office will strike on Friday – one of the busiest days of the year for the post service.

As reported in yesterday’s Telegraph, the walk-out is being supported by workers at five other closure-threatened mail centres around the country.

It will cause chaos for the festive post and could stop thousands of cards and presents being delivered in time for Christmas.

The Coventry workers are striking in protest at plans to move the city’s sorting office to Northampton, which would put 500 jobs at risk.

Their action has prompted worried MPs to call emergency talks with Royal Mail’s managing director Mark Higson.

Coventry South Labour MP Jim Cunningham said: “We have all been trying to resolve this situation for many months but the strike action has now added a bit more urgency.”

The MPs had originally been holding out for a meeting with Royal Mail’s chief executive Adam Crozier but the prospect of a hugely disruptive Christmas strike convinced them to accept talks with Mr Higson instead.

No date has been fixed for the meeting but Mr Cunningham said he hoped it would be as soon as possible to try and avoid the dispute.

Fellow city Labour MPs Bob Ainsworth and Geoffrey Robinson will also be invited to the talks.

“Given the result of the ballot we felt the right thing to do at this time was accept a meeting with Royal Mail’s managing director,” said Mr Cunningham.

The MP still has not given up hope of saving the city’s sorting office.

“You have got to be optimistic and always go the last mile,” he said.

“We are at the eleventh hour and it will be very difficult to save the sorting office in Coventry but it is worth a try.”

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said yesterday: “We have received no formal notification of industrial action in the CV postcode area.”

“We are urging all our people to continue delivering the nation’s festive postbag and give our customers the service they want and expect.”

[andy2007]

Well this is promising. With a bit of luck, other MPs will follow suit. We might even be able to avoid the need to actually Strike.

Of course, it's early days now. But at least it's some light at the end of the tunnel.

[dvbuk55]

Well I'd like to be a fly on the wall at that meeting - but I think I can see the tenure of the conversation:

Higson: Thank you for coming and taking an interest in RM Policy.

MPs: How do we avert the Christmas strike?

Higson: That gentlemen is easy, we have done it so many times before. We say that no final decision has been taken, that there will be consultation, they call off the strike.

MPs: Well that seems a reasonable solution, many thanks. Oh by the way about the closure...............

Higson: Thank you for coming and taking an interest in RM policy. Close the door on your way out.

[k979aaa]

QUOTE A royal mail spokeswoman said yesterday: "we have received no formal notification of industrial action in the cv postcode area" This is the same response from all the area's affected is this royal mail's strategy by pretending they are deaf as well as dumb!.

[dvbuk55]

Would that be CWU HQ responsibility to inform RM or each individual location? I hope someone has informed them but you never know.

[k979aaa]

Would that be CWU HQ responsibility to inform RM or each individual location? I hope someone has informed them but you never know.

I agree with you on this.