Royal Mail workers could walk out over jobs threat

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Post services may be thrown into chaos over Royal Mail’s plans to cut thousands of jobs.

Staff are determined to walk out in anger after a ruthless overhaul which includes switching huge numbers of them to part-time work.

The threat emerged just 48 hours after mail chiefs warned they were planning a pay freeze on its 180,000 workers despite doubling half-year profits to £177million.

The first walkout is likely to hit London next month after all office representatives backed a strike vote call last week. Others are expected to follow nationwide.

The Communication Workers Union will start balloting members next week over plans to axe 1,600 of the capital’s 12,000 posties.

Regional officer Martin Walsh blasted: “Our members are not prepared to accept such savage attacks on their jobs and services and they are ready to fight them.”

Deputy chief Dave Ward added: “This is not workers being replaced by machinery. It’s about people being made to work harder.”

The Mirror revealed two months ago Royal Mail was planning to slash its wage bill by 10 per cent.

Management denied union claims this would mean 16,000 job losses.

But the Mirror has seen damning documents detailing proposed cuts – and the CWU warns this is just the tip of the iceberg. Royal Mail’s 2009/10 business plan shows four East London delivery offices could have its workers cut by 54 to 308.

In Bristol, the CWU says bosses want an eight per cent cut in time worked by some staff moving to part-time hours. It would mean a huge loss in their earnings.

Royal Mail has axed 50,000 jobs since 2002. It said: “It is essential we modernise and increase efficiency.” It stressed no full-time staff were being forced to go part-time.

[dvbuk55]

Is that 54 jobs across the four offices or 54 jobs per office and is it 308 in each office or 308 across the four offices?