Union to go ahead with national postal strike ballot

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail attacks decision to hold vote as fresh walkouts add to backlog of mail across UK

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/sep/1 ... ail-unions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A fresh row over the postal strikes broke out today as union leaders confirmed plans for a national ballot in the bitter dispute over jobs, pay and services.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will start voting next Wednesday on whether to back a nationwide walkout, with the result expected on 30 September – during the Labour party's annual conference.

Royal Mail said the decision to press ahead with the ballot was "wholly irresponsible" because talk between senior management and the union leadership were still ongoing.

The news came as fresh strikes were held in London today, worsening the huge backlog of mail building up across the UK.

"The union has been saying for weeks it would call a national strike ballot, but a decision to go ahead in spite of the talks underlines the union's intent to further damage the business and its customers rather than genuinely seeking an end to the current localised disputes," a Royal Mail spokesman said.

"The ballot is simply the latest attempt by the CWU to oppose the essential modernisation of Royal Mail on the ground – despite its public claims to support change – and shows the CWU's determination to renege on existing agreements on change, including pay and modernisation, which the union's leadership signed in the presence of the TUC.""

Royal Mail said it had held more than 60 meetings with the union over recent months.

"Royal Mail is getting on with the essential changes the union has signed up to in a fair and reasonable way, while the union continues to try to back-pedal from its commitment to modernisation and impose a veto on the progress," its operations director, Paul Tolhurst, Royal Mail's operations director said.

"We urge the CWU to abandon strikes and the threat of strikes."

The CWU said the post backlog was now bigger than at the height of the national strike in 2007, with more than 20m items backed up in London, 1m in the Bristol area, 500,000 in Peterborough and 250,000 in Leeds.

The CWU deputy general secretary, Dave Ward, said: "Royal Mail's head in the sand approach to the problems in the mail industry is now severely damaging services for customers.

"Management have been bullying our members into unagreed, often unworkable, changes. The dismissive attitude to staff at the same time as cuts to jobs, hours and overtime and a pay freeze has made Royal Mail a dismal place to work.

"We want them to see sense and negotiate agreements which make change work for the company, staff and customers."

[oypostie]

Royal Mail said the decision to press ahead with the ballot was "wholly irresponsible" because talk between senior management and the union leadership were still ongoing.

Never saw that one coming

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Royal Mail said the decision to press ahead with the ballot was "wholly irresponsible" because talk between senior management and the union leadership were still ongoing.

Never saw that one coming

I guess their tactics of 2007 are coming home to roost, but it does look like the CWU Chiefs learnt their lesson as well.

[Big Daz]

Until we actually take action what have they got to whinge about?

Are they scared of the questions that will be asked of their failure to take their staff with them when RM workers in the CWU deliver a massive yes vote?

[goinpostal]

We'll see if they've learned their lessons, they've certainly dragged out the ballot!

I think RM's letter to staff last week A modern royal mail for a secure future says it all: 'we would like you to get involved at a local level with your representatives and managers' for input into modernisation - in other words, theydon't wnat to talk to the national union and sign off national agreements.

Not once have they answered our union's argument that tehy broke with phase four of the pay and modernisation agreement. :cfo