Eccles Postal strike threat

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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POSTAL workers in Eccles could take industrial action over changes to their rounds.

According to the staff, a revision of delivery rounds in the area by Royal Mail is putting them under undue pressure.

The staff are now balloting for industrial action, which in turn could lead to a strike.

John Simpson, communication workers union branch secretary for Greater Manchester, who is based at Eccles, said: "Royal Mail have approved a revision of the walks in the area and this is causing problems.

"They say that the staff walks are not long enough but staff disagree.

"They’ve now extended the walks and changes made are delaying mail because staff are spending more time on the walks and less in the sorting office."

Workers at the Eccles sorting office, in Church Street, say that the new rounds are impossible to complete in the allotted time yet management are putting them under pressure to do so.

They also say that individual performances are being compared without taking into account factors such as age, sex and physical ability.

John said: "Eccles has cut 25 per cent of its walks over the past two years which means the same area is being covered by 25 per cent less staff.

"People are being expected to deliver for up to three and a half hours at a time which just isn’t possible for some staff and there’s now a lot of pressure for people to put in overtime.

"There’s packages and parcels which are not getting delivered as a result and many staff are struggling to cope with the workload

"Changes are putting undue stress on workers and management staff are harassing them."

Royal Mail have responded to the workers issues by saying that the changes are part of ‘much needed modernisation’ which has been implemented all over the UK.

A spokesman said: "We urge our staff at Eccles Delivery Office not to vote for strike action over the reorganisation of delivery walks.

"The changes are all covered by the 2007 Agreement on Pay and Modernisation, which the CWU leadership signed in the presence of the TUC but which they are now reneging on in a way that clearly hurts our customers and our people and damages Royal Mail.

"The union claims to support modernisation, yet acts to destroy it.

"Royal Mail carefully plans every postman and postwoman’s walk so that no one is asked to cover a greater distance or deliver more mail than they are capable of doing and, following the revision at Eccles, walks are being monitored to ensure this is the case."

[jockstrapp]

Welcome to the real world of Royal fail..........our 4.5hr walks are F#cked and all the oldesd posties have the largest walks. Walks range from 400+ to 700+ so yes they have been checked to make sure everyone is equal (my @rse). And the manager couldn't give a f#ck.

[POSTMAN]

The changes are all covered by the 2007 Agreement

Where does it say in the agreement that mass job cuts are the norm,why do they keep spouting this s**t.

[Ahebban]

Funny how RM only ever mention phases 2 and 3 when referring to the 2007 Pay and Mod Agreement ... there was a 4th PHASE that they have chosen to completely ignore up to now!

So why should CWU members be held to ransom over an Agreement that RM clearly do not recognize themselves!!