Mail workers put their stamp of approval on strike ballot

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Mail workers put their stamp of approval on strike ballot

Published Date: 24 April 2009

By CHRIS MARSHALL

MAIL deliveries across Edinburgh face massive disruption next week after postal workers voted in favour of strike action.
Union officials said the mail "would not move" after members backed plans for industrial action in protest over modernisation reforms at Royal Mail..

More than 170 workers at the company's Sighthill depot and their colleagues in Perth took part in the ballot after a series of cost-cutting measures which union officials said had already led to voluntary redundancies.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said the action was part of a national campaign to get bosses back round the negotiating table to discuss the modernisation of the business but Royal Mail said less than half of those balloted had voted in favour of strike action, with around 30 per cent abstaining.

The firm said it had made "revisions" to the business which applied to collection drivers only, but insisted there would be no forced redundancies.

Willie Marshall, local representative of the CWU, said: "This is a massive 'yes' vote in favour of industrial action. I would now expect some form of industrial action by the end of next week.

"It will be some form of strike action unless something changes from the employer.

"We're doing this to bring the business back to the negotiating table. Royal Mail is not talking to the union at a national level and are pushing on regardless. We are not against modernisation but with negotiation."

A series of national strikes carried out by postal workers in 2007 resulted in nearly a fifth of all first class mail going undelivered in Edinburgh and the Lothians.

A Royal Mail spokesman said today: "Less than half of our people involved in this ballot voted in favour of industrial action.

"If industrial action does go ahead, Royal Mail will do everything in its power to minimise disruption to our customers.

"Royal Mail has a policy of no compulsory redundancies and no-one has left the business as a result of the reorganisation in Edinburgh who did not wish to leave. No-one has been asked to do anything that is not part of their job.

"The changes have already been implemented and have increased the speed and efficiency with which we handle our customers' mail."

Union officials said there had already been 13 voluntary redundancies among delivery drivers in Edinburgh in response to the "unacceptable duties" they were being asked to perform.

A spokesman for the postal watchdog Consumer Focus Scotland called on both sides to work to try to resolve the dispute.

He said: "It is ordinary consumers who suffer, with letters and parcels going undelivered.

"Discussion seems to be at a pretty early stage and we are hopeful that this can all be resolved before services are affected."