Mail disruption as postal workers strike

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news ... 5506750.jp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HUNDREDS of homes and businesses will be left without mail when postal workers stage a two-day strike as part of an ongoing pay dispute.
More than 140 posties across Peterborough are expected to ditch their delivery sacks when they take to the picket line in a 48-hour strike against pay and hours.

Deliveries in the PE1, PE3, PE4 and PE6 postcode areas of the city are expected to be disrupted, with about 144 out of 163 workers from the Peterborough North sorting office, in Papyrus Road, Werrington, taking strike action.

The union has accused Royal Mail of cutting the pay and jobs of workers without agreement, while also reducing services.

But bosses say the union is not facing up to the reality of a business struggling to cope with declining volumes of mail and which needs to make changes.

Local representative for the Communications Workers Union (CWU) Mark Cook said the strike was necessary to get Royal Mail bosses to listen to workers' concerns, and would take place within the next 10 days.

He said: "This could be the first of several strike actions. Bosses seem hell-bent on slashing staff and then expect the remainder of the workforce to pick up the work.

"We are not the only ones in the country to strike, and will continue to do so until we can reach an agreement.

"We apologise to members of the public, who will be without mail, unless Royal Mail puts on a limited service."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "We have met the union more than 50 times in recent months, and it is increasingly clear that the CWU refuses to believe that mail volumes are declining, despite the clear evidence of this in the UK and in every other postal market around the world.

"We condemn the CWU for striking locally over much-needed modernisation and change, which has already been successfully implemented by our people in the majority of offices around the UK, and is working well.

"The changes are all covered by the 2007 Agreement on Pay and Modernisation, which the CWU leadership signed in the presence of the TUC."

Postcodes which begin PE2 and PE7 will not be affected as the mail comes from the city's south distribution centre in Welbeck Way, which has not taken part in the strike ballot.

[Pinky 1]

"We condemn the CWU for striking locally over much-needed modernisation and change, which has already been successfully implemented by our people in the majority of offices around the UK, and is working well."

Successfully implemented, and working well ? Oh please do tell ....where are these offices ?

[pinstripe]

"We condemn the CWU for striking locally over much-needed modernisation and change, which has already been successfully implemented by our people in the majority of offices around the UK, and is working well."

Successfully implemented, and working well ? Oh please do tell ....where are these offices ?

The changes are working well in my office. In fact they are working so well that management spend most of the morning trying to cover overtime, and we've only just cleared a 20 york backlog of packets. Anymore improvements and we'll need to move to a bigger office to cope with the falling volumes.

[DGP1]

"We condemn the CWU for striking locally over much-needed modernisation and change, which has already been successfully implemented by our people in the majority of offices around the UK, and is working well."

Successfully implemented, and working well ? Oh please do tell ....where are these offices ?

The changes are working well in my office. In fact they are working so well that management spend most of the morning trying to cover overtime, and we've only just cleared a 20 york backlog of packets. Anymore improvements and we'll need to move to a bigger office to cope with the falling volumes.

Just wait until Autumn and the mail level go back to normal

[Fred B]

our people *

*Managers I assume.

[Phantom]

"We condemn the CWU for striking locally over much-needed modernisation and change, which has already been successfully implemented by our people in the majority of offices around the UK, and is working well."

Successfully implemented, and working well ? Oh please do tell ....where are these offices ?

The changes are working well in my office. In fact they are working so well that management spend most of the morning trying to cover overtime, and we've only just cleared a 20 york backlog of packets. Anymore improvements and we'll need to move to a bigger office to cope with the falling volumes.

Just wait until Autumn and the mail level go back to normal

Correct!!!