Postal workers' union writes to Parliament over MP's stateme

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Postal workers' union writes to Parliament over MP's statement

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A ROW has broken out following postal union claims a statement made by MP Anna Soubry in Parliament was "untrue".

The Broxtowe MP told the House of Commons only two postal workers in her constituency asked her not to support the Postal Services Bill, which sets out plans to privatise Royal Mail.

But this has been challenged by officials at the Nottingham and District Branch of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), who believe as many as 150 workers at Beeston Mail Centre wrote to Miss Soubry at the time urging her to vote against the proposals.

Darren Glebocki, of Notts CWU, said: "This statement was untrue."


He added the union was looking at its options to get the statement formally withdrawn.

But Miss Soubry has said when she spoke in Parliament on October 27 she spoke the truth. She said she did not realise she had received letters from postal workers, which had been put in a file with postcards from constituents urging her not to support the Bill.

"I said that to my knowledge, which was the truth, none of them had written to me and of 700 workers at Beeston [sorting office] only two had come down to the Commons," she said.

"There's nothing untrue about that at all. That's why I said 'to my knowledge' because I don't know every single letter that's come in every day."

She said after speaking, she returned to find about 30 letters, shortly followed by the arrival of another 50. She has since received more, but has said a substantial number of these, sent by the CWU on behalf of postal workers, were from people outside her constituency.

She said: "The CWU has not organised a very good campaign because they've sent me a considerable number of letters that aren't from my constituents, which means the MPs who should have seen them haven't seen them yet.

"It concerns me perfectly decent members of the CWU paying their dues are not getting the sort of campaign expected from a modern trade union."

She claimed letters include ones from Eastwood, which is in Ashfield constituency, and parts of Derbyshire.

"I said I would only support [this Bill] if it would protect the future of Royal Mail and the workforce and the universal postal service and that's what it does," she said.

Mr Glebocki said the MP's comments about only two local postal workers travelling to Parliament gave the impression the Keep The Post Public campaign had little support.

But he added: "Maybe getting time off work at short notice is easy for MPs, but for the remainder of us in the real world getting time off to lobby Parliament is not so easy."

The union has collected about 10,000 signatures in Notts for its petition against privatising Royal Mail.

[fishtank]

She's a liar...not really a surprise...but i am surprised at how arrogant she is.
Does she really think that anybody believes her?
No doubt one of her minions will crawl out of the woodwork to take the blame for not passing on the letters.

[ziko]

Miss Soubry has said when she spoke in Parliament on October 27 she spoke the truth. She said she did not realise she had received letters from postal workers, which had been put in a file with postcards from constituents urging her not to support the Bill.