Feelings run high over stand-in posties

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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UP TO 50 temporary workers are expected to be drafted into the Royal Mail delivery office in Scunthorpe next month to counter the impact of ongoing industrial action by members of the Communication Workers' Union (CWU).

Most of the town's 150 postmen and women joined their colleagues across Britain by walking out earlier today and mounting picket lines around the Church Lane depot.

The 24-hour stoppage is expected to be the first in a series of a lightning strikes organised by the CWU in the run-up to Christmas as a protest against the Royal Mail's modernisation plans.

But the company has launched its counter-attack by recruiting up to 30,000 fully-vetted temporary workers to deal with the Christmas rush.

It is double the normal of temps hired during the festive season and so far there have been more than 85,000 applications.

But the move has angered CWU leaders.

Kevin Lester, the area representative for the Scunthorpe CWU members said: "Instead of spending vast sums of money on untrained temporary workers we urge the Royal Mail to re-engage with talks to reach an agreement to get the permanent staff back to work.

"Royal Mail is planning for failure instead of addressing the concerns of its staff, Postal workers deserve more than this dismissive attitude."

But the company is insisting the temps will not do the work of the postmen and women – but to clear any backlogs between strikes as well as to help with the seasonal build up of mail in the run up to Christmas.

Royal Mail group chief executive Adam Crozier said the recruitment was fully in line with all employment law.

[piranha]

But the company is insisting the temps will not do the work of the postmen and women – but to clear any backlogs between strikes as well as to help with the seasonal build up of mail in the run up to Christmas.

If they are not sorting, delivering or in the callers office what are they doing? Of course they are doing our job, there must be a loophole in the law.

[jaja]

But the company is insisting the temps will not do the work of the postmen and women – but to clear any backlogs between strikes as well as to help with the seasonal build up of mail in the run up to Christmas.

If they are not sorting, delivering or in the callers office what are they doing? Of course they are doing our job, there must be a loophole in the law.

Did anyone see them on the new last night?? some really shifty looking people, some even covered their faces....wonder if they have been on crimewatch

[ExSG]

All it needs is just one 'criminal type' to slip through the net as has happened in the past and the PR ramifications for RM are catastrophic. I trust all posties are watching out for the bent casuals and making sure the local media know about them.

In the 80's at a small DO in Herts they employed an ex con casual who had done time for robbing a local Post Office. He was recognised by the postie he had threatened with a knife

You really could not make it up. Incidentally, true to form, work stopped until a 'cringing apology' was obtained from the HR director. Great stuff.