Fears grow over Christmas postal strike in Bristol

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HOPES of averting a postal strike in Bristol in the run-up to Christmas appear to have been dashed.

A meeting took place between unions and bosses on Friday in a bid to resolve problems at the Royal Mail’s sorting office in Totterdown.

Workers at the sorting office, which serves most of south Bristol, are unhappy about staffing levels and claim there are not enough people to cope with the amount of work. At one stage managers were called in to work on weekend shifts.

The staff had already decided to hold a strike ballot but talks took place yesterday in a bid to resolve the situation.

But the talks between officials from the Communication Workers’ Union and Royal Mail finished without a resolution and the ballot will still go ahead.

The union has said that if a strike does go ahead it will affect deliveries in Bristol during the run-up to Christmas.

Despite the talks stalling there are still hopes of a resolution. Both sides have agreed to reconvene next Friday in a bid to resolve the dispute.

The vote on whether to go on strike is due to conclude the day before the next round of talks take place.

CWU Bristol area official David Wilshire said: “No progress has been made but the fact that a further meeting has been arranged offers a glimmer of hope.

“The result of the ballot will be known on Wednesday next week and we will be holding a mass meeting of our members on Tuesday, November 27.”

Mr Wilshire went on to say: “The ball now lies firmly in Royal Mail’s court as to whether we go to the mass meeting with a proposed agreement, or to discuss what type of strike action will be requested.”