National strike could disrupt Royal Mail's Christmas season

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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The UK’s Communications Workers Union will hold a vote later this month regarding the possibility of a full national postal strike at Royal Mail.

The union said if current ongoing talks with the universal postal service provider do not bring agreement by 20th September, ballot papers will go out to 125,000 Royal Mail workers seeking their votes.

It would be the first national strike ballot since 2009.

The CWU is protesting the current “below-inflation” pay offer from Royal Mail – the offer is based on an 8.6% pay rise over three years – changes to the workers’ pension scheme and the impact of forthcoming privatisation on job security and staff terms and conditions.

The ballot, which will be open to Parcelforce members but not those at the Post Office, which became independent from Royal Mail Group last year, should see a result announced on 3rd October.

If the vote is in favour of a strike, the CWU would give seven days’ notice to Royal Mail, meaning industrial action would begin 10th October at the earliest.

The union said it had reached “breaking point” with Royal Mail negotiations, and believed a strike was “inevitable” unless Royal Mail met the “needs of the workforce”.

“We are dealing with a company that is preparing for privatisation with relish. While the union continues to fight privatisation we are also dealing with the potential realities for workers if there is a change of ownership,” said Dave Ward, the CWU deputy general secretary.

“We are looking to reach a groundbreaking agreement on terms and conditions that sets unprecedented legally binding protection for workers in the event of a sale, and regardless of who owns the company. Postal workers know franchising, break up and sale of mail centres, distribution hubs and Parcelforce, along with the introduction of a new workforce on lower terms and conditions, are real threats in a race to the bottom with mail competitors for any new company.

“We want Royal Mail and the government to put protections in place that are both meaningful and lasting” he added.

Royal Mail has already been facing various localised strikes and disputes in its facilities, most recently in Plymouth, as the company changes processes and infrastructure as part of modernisation plans.

The union said it wants to agree practices with Royal Mail that were “manageable” and took account of the growth in packets and parcels.

“Royal Mail has announced it is a parcel company that carries letters but has no clue how to manage that change” said Ward, adding: “We need an agreement that recognises the change in profile of the mail and puts in place an infrastructure to carry more packets and parcels, while rewarding workers properly and delivering a manageable workload.”
“Disappointed”

Royal Mail said today it was “very disappointed” that the union had issued a timeline for a national ballot on industrial action.

The company warned that strike action could threaten operations in the run-up to Christmas.

In the mean time, it pointed out that the current ballot did not necessarily mean there will be a strike and it was “business as usual”.

“Discussions over a new three-year agreement between Royal Mail and the CWU are continuing. We are committed to reaching an agreement with the CWU as soon as possible to give our customers and employees continued stability,” said Royal Mail in its statement.

“Any industrial action, or the possibility of disruption, is damaging to our customers, and our business, especially in the run up to our busiest time, Christmas.”

Royal Mail said it recognised that in the event of strike action, its customers would be able to shift their business to competitors. “We will work hard to minimise the impact of any industrial action on our customers,” it said.

Source: Post&Parcel/Royal Mail/CWU

[houseoflords]

Royal Mail should stop shafting its Work Force and wake up and smell the Coffee.

[k979aaa]

All I want for Christmas is £498,000 and £200,000 for my pension for the year and £127,000 for housing relocation and legal fee's plus £399,000 in short term incentive plan. Plus she had a payment of £250,000 for housing costs which she was not entitled to she has since repaid half of it due to tax reasons we are to believe at this time!. Why do they think it is a good deal for us are they really so shocked at their disappointment they are but fools to themselves!.