Nottingham - Postal strike goes ahead in city

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POSTAL workers in the city have gone on strike today in a row over changes in working conditions.

A total of 46 delivery and collection staff at the Huntingdon Street sorting office went on strike, forming a picket line from 5.30am.

This has affected deliveries in the NG3 postcode, which includes Mapperley and St Ann's.

Simon Edmonds, branch secretary for the Nottingham and District Communication Workers' Union, said the strike had been well supported, with only one worker going across the picket line.

"This was part of a national dispute but certainly the staff are reacting to their treatment by management locally," said Mr Edmonds.

"We want to get Royal Mail around the negotiating table to get a national agreement on the new working demands.

"Management seem to be wanting to turn down the business and downsize it. We want to provide a service and maintain that service to customers.

"Cuts being made by management gives us no other option than taking industrial action."

Workers in Huntingdon Street joined other postal staff from Coventry, Leamington Spa and Stoke on Trent in the strikes.

This is part of a national dispute about changes to working conditions and job cuts as the post office adapts to different demands because of the increase in online shopping.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "Regrettably deliveries to customers in the NG3 delivery area will be disrupted but we have contingency arrangements in place to ensure all Royal Mail Special Delivery and Tracked Services are maintained and services are restored to normal as quickly as possible.

"We again 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 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."