UK facing largest Post Office strike in years

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jul/1 ... -mail-cuts" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

• More than 12,000 postal workers to walk out on Friday
• Strikers protesting against cuts at Royal Mail

Thousands of postal workers across the UK will go on strike on Friday in protest against cuts at Royal Mail, threatening the worst disruption to deliveries in years.

The action will be the latest stage in a series of strikes over jobs, pay and services, which have hit parts of the country in recent weeks and are now set to escalate into a national dispute.

The Communication Workers Union said more than 12,000 of its members in cities ranging from London and Edinburgh to Bristol and Plymouth would walk out for 24 hours.

The union has accused Royal Mail of cutting the pay and jobs of postal workers without agreement, while also reducing services.

On Friday afternoon, a letter and postcard will be delivered to Royal Mail's chief executive, Adam Crozier, and business secretary Lord Mandelson. This will be followed by a national balloon release, with thousands of balloons rising above Royal Mail workplaces across the UK.

Dave Ward, the CWU deputy general secretary, said: "There are serious and growing problems in the postal sector which urgently need resolving. We have renewed our offer of a three-month no-strike deal to Royal Mail in return for meaningful talks over modernisation. The current cuts, bullying managers and ever increasing workloads on a shrinking workforce cannot continue. Pressure and stress is at breaking point for postal workers so we urgently need a fresh start for a modern Royal Mail.

"The national day of action on Friday is in response to an ever growing number of requests for industrial action from postal workers across the country who feel let down by Royal Mail management. We have almost 400 ballot requests at the moment with more coming daily. Without progress, this could effectively turn into a national strike."

Last week, Mandelson accused the union of boycotting talks on Royal Mail modernisation. He insisted that it was "inconceivable" that the public would support a bailout of the Royal Mail's £10bn pension fund deficit without the organisation agreeing to overhaul the way it works.

The CWU was fiercely opposed to the plans for partial privatisation of the Royal Mail that have now been abandoned, and Mandelson has accused it of adopting a "head in the sand" approach to modernisation.

[k979aaa]

So :mfo thinks we have a head in the sand approach at least we don't have the head up his arse approach he has shown through out his political life!.

[Lounge Lizard]

Isn't 12,000 only about 10% of us, so how can it be the largest strike in years ?

[Stormproof]

Isn't 12,000 only about 10% of us, so how can it be the largest strike in years ?

I was thinking the same

[Ahebban]

The headline is what catches the public eye, not the content, and a certain amount of journalistic licence is evident in the use of ''years''. It is less than 2 years since the national strike, so ''months'' has more relevance than ''years'' if used in the correct context.

''Ten per cent of postal workers on strike'' does not have the same impact on the page

[andy2007]

Isn't 12,000 only about 10% of us, so how can it be the largest strike in years ?

I was thinking the same

Have they forgotten about 2007?
Or should the headline have read: Largest Strike in 2 years?
Who writes this ill informed crap!?!?