Postal Strike in Carrickfergus Delivery Office

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Members of the Communication Workers Union held a 24 hour strike at Carrickfergus Royal Mail Delivery Office on Saturday 17th August in response to management’s refusal to honour a previous agreement on “Pay & Modernisation”.

Bobby Weatherall, CWU Combined Branch Secretary added: “Our members in the Carrickfergus Delivery Office are participating in official industrial action against imposed new duty structures and working arrangements brought in by Royal Mail executive action without any discussions or consultation with the CWU.

"The members in this office made every attempt at resolving the issues within their office, but RM were not prepared to listen, and drove ahead with their changes. Now we are seeing in this office, just like the many other offices throughout N.Ireland and the UK, where staff are unable to cope with the workload they are now burdened with following totally unjustified and unagreed cuts.

"Our members are continually expected to work beyond their finishing time, and on many occasions, not even getting paid for it. Our members in Carrickfergus also feel they are being bullied and harassed by management to complete this unachievable workload, which has lead to members going off sick with stress”

Lawrence C. Huston, CWU Regional Secretary, Northern Ireland said “Strike action is set to escalate across the UK, in response to Royal Mail’s continuing executive action of imposing cuts. The company has abandoned the final phase of the 2007 Pay and Modernisation agreement and is set on piling more work and pressure on already stretched staff. This is being replicated right across the country and we have ballot requests for industrial action stacking up.”

“Our members do not want to lose money or disrupt services by taking strike action; However, while Royal Mail refuses to acknowledge the serious issues facing its own employees, then the CWU has no alternative".

[Pinky 1]

Well done lads, and well said Bobby Weatherall

[tailfly12]

Is Carrickfergus Delivery Office a small delivery office there's not many postmen in the picture. I heard there was 80% of the workforce working, is it true?

[DGP1]

Is Carrickfergus Delivery Office a small delivery office there's not many postmen in the picture. I heard there was 80% of the workforce working, is it true?

Who told you that? The information I got (from a driver) was that only 4 out of 50 went in but the office was flooded with managers/staff from other offices.

[dudleylicious]

Well done to my fellow celtic brothers & sistas

[tailfly12]

There's 9 people in the picture where's everybody else. Bad turn out I was told.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

There's 9 people in the picture where's everybody else. Bad turn out I was told.

Bloody hell mate 9 out of 50 thats nearly 20% - My office in 2007 had about 30 who kept turning up at different times but only a hard core of 6 to 8. We are a very large DO with nearly 300 CWU members and we were 100% + 100% in 2007

I think 9 is pretty good for an office that size

[Stormproof]

Last week on our picket line the most we had were 12 out of 150 staff. I think everyone went off to the seaside for the day as the weather was so nice. A local radio reporter turned up for an interview, she had gone to another D.O. but they had all left the picket line and gone on a golf day.

[DGP1]

There's 9 people in the picture where's everybody else. Bad turn out I was told.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but only 6 are allowed on the picket line plus it was a Saturday and people must've decided to take the day to lie on in bed but I'd still like to know who told you because the information I got was that the strike was solid (maybe the driver was wrong or missed all the people going in).

Plus, it's a damn sight better than the rest of us at the moment who are waiting on ballots coming out, at least they stood up for something.

[onthestella]

i heard from the horses mouth today so to speak only 2 poor souls with little or no integrity went in out of 46 staff.

[BELIAL]

Bet their families are proud of them, probably donate some of their wages to the strike fund to help the blokes they will have to work next to for maybe years and years. Is it a small town?