First Class Strike Fury

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.paisleydailyexpress.co.uk/re ... -33275142/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Post Office chiefs have been slated for flying staff north from LONDON to cover for striking mail workers in Paisley.

The mail bosses are believed to have splashed out a four-figure sum on the replacement staff for just over four hours’ work.

MSP Hugh Henry blasted the move as a “scandalous waste of money,” and has tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament condemning Royal Mail chiefs.

The Labour man hit out after joining members of the Communication Workers’ Union at the Piazza shopping centre who downed tools earlier this week for half a day to protest against Post Office closures across Scotland and the imposition of a four-year pay freeze.

He said: “I was stunned to learn that the Post Office had flown staff in from London to cover for a half day in Paisley.

“They can’t give their workers a small pay rise but they can afford to fly in replacement staff for a few hours’ work.

“This is a ludicrous waste of money and I have raised this preposterous action at the highest level within the Post Office and in the Scottish Parliament, where I tabled a motion condemning this action.

“It is already gathering support in Holyrood.

“I have also alerted my MP colleagues to this scandalous waste of money at a time when workers have been told they cannot get even a minimal wage rise.”

The strike was the latest call for action by Post Office staff and some 4,000 staff from 373 Crown Post Offices were involved.

Staff were in favour of the strike by a convincing majority of nine to one.

The Renfrewshire South MSP has now written to Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of the Post Office, asking how much the operation cost and quizzing her about whether it was money well spent.

He has also lodged a motion calling on members to support the campaign to keep post offices open and “deplore” flying up senior managers from London to branches in Paisley and Glasgow for a four-and-a-half hour shift.

Mr Henry added: “Crown Post Offices are being closed across Scotland.

“Already, we have seen Renfrew sold off and a further six are threatened. Although Paisley is not on the immediate hit list, there is no guarantee for the future.

“The Renfrewshire economy relies on a vibrant Post Office network and we can’t afford to lose the Crown Post Office. The CWU has my full support for their campaign.”

Evelyn Morris, from the CWU, who lives in Renfrewshire, said: “The Post Office is imposing a four-year pay freeze. This is not just about pay, it also affects our pensions.

“We know the Post Office is valued by the community, and the loss of a Crown Post Office badly affects the local community and local businesses.”

A spokeswoman for the Post Office confirmed they had flown two senior members of staff up to keep the branches open during the strike.

She said: “It was to minimise disruption to our customers at busy branches and we sought to have staff in Scotland brought in but were unable to locate them, so we had two members of staff from London brought up.

“They travelled using the most economical method, which was to fly.”

Meanwhile, a fourth round of further strike action has been called by CWU for Tuesday. Management want to slash the network by 20 per cent, impose a pay freeze and are refusing to negotiate with the union.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Motion S4M-06408: Hugh Henry, Renfrewshire South, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 30/04/2013
Crown Post Offices, CWU Industrial Action

That the Parliament notes the industrial action by members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in the campaign to keep open Crown post offices and in opposition to a four-year wage freeze; welcomes the campaign to retain Crown post offices; deplores the reported action of the Post Office chief executive in flying senior managers from London to staff offices in Paisley and Glasgow for a 4.5 hour shift; believes this to be a scandalous use of money when the Post Office claims that it cannot afford even a modest pay increase for staff, and believes that the chief executive of the Post Office should apologise to the public and staff for what it considers this insensitive action.

Supported by: Bill Kidd, Margaret McCulloch, Jenny Marra, John Pentland, Jackie Baillie, Anne McTaggart, Richard Lyle, Kezia Dugdale, Elaine Smith, Kenneth Gibson, Neil Findlay, Drew Smith, Kevin Stewart, Iain Gray, Sandra White, Annabelle Ewing, Margaret McDougall, Patricia Ferguson, John Finnie, Jamie Hepburn, Richard Simpson

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parli ... PerPage=10" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[UnhappyGremlin]

Not that it's needed, but further proof of the company's wasteful attitude.
Has to reflect badly in the public eye too.

[Darren Bent]

Royal Mail tend to spend too much money on managers, managers bonus, and vehicles and stuff and not enough on people who deliver the post. This is not good use of resources. If I own Royal Mail, I will fire the person who authorise this operation.

[silly suffolk]

flying pickets illegal. flying strike breakers?

[janitor]

Royal Mail spend money on vehicles, that's a joke, most of the vehicles in my old office were on there last legs, most companies wouldn't let vehicles like them on the road, doesn't do anything for the corporate image.even let illegal dangerous vans out, they go to the garage they can comeback with the same fault they went in with, one van was sent back four times before the dangerous fault was fixed.

[LinChong]

If the government can pull out of Afghanistan they can stop their war on postal workers.

[Red Robbo]

This Union are playing with the "big boys" now, no holds barred, with this government backing the Post Office they will play dirty from now on.

[barbario]

Actually,this is an old trick.During our last dispute in London,Royal Mail brought in Managers from all over the country to do our work in the MC.

[SpacePhoenix]

Royal Mail tend to spend too much money on managers, managers bonus, and vehicles and stuff and not enough on people who deliver the post. This is not good use of resources. If I own Royal Mail, I will fire the person who authorise this operation.

If we do get privatised then probably a good 3/4 of all managers (especially line managers) will probably be made either "team leaders" or back to being a normal postie or get axed. With all the cardboard sleeves around in the network they should spend some resources on normal sleeves (and make the buckles out of a stronger plastic)

[UnhappyGremlin]

Royal Mail tend to spend too much money on managers, managers bonus, and vehicles and stuff and not enough on people who deliver the post. This is not good use of resources. If I own Royal Mail, I will fire the person who authorise this operation.

If we do get privatised then probably a good 3/4 of all managers (especially line managers) will probably be made either "team leaders" or back to being a normal postie or get axed. With all the cardboard sleeves around in the network they should spend some resources on normal sleeves (and make the buckles out of a stronger plastic)

And when they go back to being a normal postie, they'll get made redundant with everyone else.