Postal union seeking support to fight Halstead depot closure

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POSTAL workers are hoping hundreds of Halstead people will pack a public meeting to back their campaign to save the town’s postal depot.

Halstead Town Council is organising the meeting, with speakers invited from the Communication Workers Union and Royal Mail.

Town, district and county councillors will also be at the meeting, in the Empire Theatre, on August 19, along with Halstead MP Brooks Newmark, Local union rep Steve McKenna said: “The hope is we can reverse Royal Mail’s decision. Nothing is impossible with Royal Mail.

“We cannot understand the decision.”

He claimed senior managers had still not spoken to staff about plans to move operations to Sudbury.

About 120 people came to a previous meeting last month, at which Royal Mail was not represented.

Mr McKenna urged Halstead people to fill the Empire Theatre for the meeting to demonstrate their support.

He said his members remained upbeat, even though minutes of a meeting between councillors and Royal Mail had quoted it as saying there was “no question of reconsideration.”

Halstead mayor David Hume will chair the meeting. He said: “This is an opportunity for people to hear both sides of the discussion and, we hope, persuade Royal Mail to reconsider and maintain the service for the people of the town.”

A Royal Mail spokesman confirmed its managers would be at the meeting.

He added: “We can categorically confirm we have briefed our staff and the union on our plans to relocate the Halstead delivery office.

“This will continue as we progress our plans to ensure that we continue to the meet the needs of staff and customers alike. We also need to place the company on a more secure, stable and sustainable footing.”