POLICE were called to the Royal Mail sorting office on Ascott Road this morning to deal with another dispute between management and staff.
Union officials claim a group of 12 sorting workers were told by managers to undertake delivery work - a role they are allegedly untrained and unsuited for.
After the group refused they were told by managers their actions constituted "unofficial industrial action" and were told to leave the building.
advertisement
After the group refused, managers called the police to remove them.
Alan Walsh, from the Communication Workers Union (CWU), said: "I don't know why they are doing this. There are people here already who are delivery trained who are being told to stay in the depot - it defies all logic.
"It's ridiculous that they called the police in. Surely they've got better things to do. I've been here for 20 years and I've never seen anything like this in my life.
"We've got one guy here who is 63 who was sent out on deliveries yesterday with about 13 or 14 pouches of mail. It makes no sense what they are doing."
A police van arrived at around 9.30 but left soon afterwards after taking no action.
A police spokesman said:"No offences were disclosed and no criminal activity or breach of the peace took place.
"The police gave impartial advice to both sides and reassured them that if any offence happened, that it would be dealt with by the police as an independent body."
One postal worker told the Observer: "This is ludicrous. I don't know why the Royal Mail thinks it can use these types of bully boy tactics and call the police in.
"What are the police going to do - force us all out of the building? My mates are just trying to work in there and they've called in the police. This really is a farce."
A Royal Mail spokesman said: "At Watford and elsewhere, Royal Mail has a zero tolerance policy against any instances of bullying by anyone in the organisation. We are committed to running our operation in a flexible and efficient way to ensure customers' mail is delivered on time and without unnecessary delay."
Sadly Flyingpostman its what it has come to, them and us, the past two years we have had DIGNITY AND RESPECT RAMMED DOWN OUR throats and they end up treating us like this. they are really sad people with nothing else to worry about in life.
Terrible behaviour from a company that wants to change.
Forced change is not change. That's dictatorship.
"Royal Mail has a zero tolerance policy against any instances of bullying by anyone in the organisation. We are committed to running our operation in a flexible and efficient way to ensure customers' mail is delivered on time and without unnecessary delay."
If only the public knew how they ACTUALLY did things...stripping hours out of offices puts more pressure on those who do the work. Budgets and figures don't get the job done. We do.
I used to work at the Watford office and I can tell you they have some of the worst managers I've ever worked for.
Boy I could tell you some stories, but don't know if its allowed to name names etc.
Thank god for Alan Walsh the CWU Rep, he's the only guy who keeps that office running. Otherwise it would be total anarchy!
They still have a backlog of over 1 million packets from the last batch of strikes. Last I heard they had run out of room and
are storing them at other nearby offices.
The Mayor of Watford has written to Leigton & Crozier complaining and demanding a resolution, but as yet has had no reply I believe.
Batz.
OPG on foot and leaving the car at home.
Saving the job and the planet at the same time.
Well the use of Police against the workers is something that was used against the Miners and Printers back in the 80' n 90's Under a Con goverment... We have civil disorder at football matches and May day riots.. Here it is some times warrented.... BUT this from RM is a total farce... It really shows how and wot they are... SCUM... Wot if the old bill came in all heavy handed with posties in Watford...? Wot if they over reacted?? It aint a far fetched point!! RM have no quarms about having blood on there hands as they dont care about H&S at work and have shown this in many actions but continue to spout H&S at all costs when We the workers know different... In my opinon they show the world now in this total over reaction and disreguard for any rights or fair play... SO Did any managers stand up and back the workers on this attack???? Will the screws that come on here give there opinion on this action of RM on workers???
All i say is the old bill acted in a decent way and layed the law down and not acted on RM and there bullyboy tatics...
I dont back the old bill normally but WELL DONE
RM u just stoopped lower even for you in my estimations!!! AND THATS LOWER THAN A SNAKES BELLY... SCUM.... THATS ALL YOU ARE... :cfo :lfo
IT JUST SHOWS THEY CAN'T PRACTISE WHAT THEY PREACH-----DIVERSITY!!!!
UNDERNEATH THEY ARE STILL THE BIGGEST BULLIES----ONLY WITH POWER THOUGH OVER PEOPLE THEY HAVE NO GUTS.
LET'S TAKE EM OUTSIDE AND SEE WHO'S GOT THE GUTS THEN!!!!!!!
EFFIN WEASELS
Police were called to office to escort from the office a number of posties from processing who were asked to go on deliveries but were untrained and refused, they were taken off pay and told to leave the building. Dont worry they are being well looked after by our union. however one such postie was not so lucky. She was told to take out a delivery even though she is 7 months pregnant!!! and untrained in the fine art of delivery. She went off sick with stress and had a bad road accident on way home car a right off. but she and baby are fine after being taken by ambulance to hospital. All this from such a caring and understanding employer!!! :cfo :lfo
hertfordshirefred wrote:Police were called to office to escort from the office a number of posties from processing who were asked to go on deliveries but were untrained and refused, they were taken off pay and told to leave the building. Dont worry they are being well looked after by our union. however one such postie was not so lucky. She was told to take out a delivery even though she is 7 months pregnant!!! and untrained in the fine art of delivery. She went off sick with stress and had a bad road accident on way home car a right off. but she and baby are fine after being taken by ambulance to hospital. All this from such a caring and understanding employer!!! :cfo :lfo
The shower of s**t! Does anyone still imagine we have anything in common with these parasites? Life means nothing to them.
The Industrial Workers of the World. The union whose members never scab!
"The working class and the employing class have nothing in common."
hertfordshirefred wrote:Police were called to office to escort from the office a number of posties from processing who were asked to go on deliveries but were untrained and refused, they were taken off pay and told to leave the building. Dont worry they are being well looked after by our union. however one such postie was not so lucky. She was told to take out a delivery even though she is 7 months pregnant!!! and untrained in the fine art of delivery. She went off sick with stress and had a bad road accident on way home car a right off. but she and baby are fine after being taken by ambulance to hospital. All this from such a caring and understanding employer!!! :cfo :lfo
The shower of s**t! Does anyone still imagine we have anything in common with these parasites? Life means nothing to them.
7 months pregnant!! thats bound to be against the law!!!! she shud stay off a very long time..
Why didn't the police take any action ? They should have charged the managers with wasting police time, but no, just like the industrial disputes of the 1980s they side with the management not the workers every time. .
:cfo :lfo 
