Basildon - Mail goes undelivered as posties join strike

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THOUSANDS of envelopes and parcels went undelivered in Basildon after postal workers joined national strikes over job cuts and working conditions.

People living in Basildon postcodes between SS13 and SS16 received no mail on Friday after 160 workers at the town’s delivery office went on strike.

The posties joined thousands of striking Royal Mail workers across the country as growing unrest lead to the Communication Workers Union calling a national strike ballot.

The mood stretches across south Essex where all sorting offices, including Southend, have been balloted on separate strike action, the result of which will be announced at the end of August.

Union members claim the Royal Mail’s recent modernisation drive has seen managers forcing through job cuts and extra hours to save money. John Hunt, secretary of the union’s Essex branch, said relations between workers and managers had reached an all time low.

He said: “What we are seeing in Basildon is an extremely aggressive and hostile employer, which is bullying and intimidating our members to increase the overall workload beyond human capability.

“As a result decent working class postmen are taking unprecedented sickness leave because of the terrible conditions.”

The union wants Royal Mail to come back to the negotiating table to work out a new blueprint for the company’s modernisation, as well as a job security arrangement to limit future job cuts.

Ryan Goad, 28, of Heathleigh Drive, Langdon Hills, was among residents left without post on Friday.

He said: “I’ve definitely been waiting on stuff recently. It’s been noticeably slower and today the post hasn’t turned up at all.

“As long as it’s resolved quickly it won’t affect me too much.”

Earlier this month, the Echo reported that Royal Mail managers at delivery offices in Benfleet, Wickford and Rayleigh were accused of bullying workers following clashes over the new working conditions.

Paul Tolhurst, Royal Mail’s operations director, said, “The Communication Workers Unionis again saying one thing and doing another.

“Publicly it says it wants modernisation, yet it writes regularly to members saying union policy is to oppose change on the ground.

“The union agreed with us, only last week, a timetable for further talks on change, yet it now announces a national strike ballot. Its behaviour beggars belief.”