Work at RM sorting office in Crewe to finish for good

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Work at Royal Mail sorting office in Crewe to finish for good

http://www.crewechronicle.co.uk/crewe-n ... -27035999/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

WORK at Crewe’s famous Royal Mail sorting office will cease on Monday.

For two years, uncertainty has surrounded the hundreds of workers at the Weston Road site, sparking on-street protests and rows between union officials and Royal Mail bosses.

Royal Mail wants to shift all operations to its Warrington base. The company has said the take-up in voluntary redundancies means no compulsory action will be taken.

Royal Mail will run a shuttle bus from Crewe to Warrington, but many of the workers who have now volunteered for voluntary redundancy are refusing to budge.

One of them, who preferred not to be named, said: “It’s terrible. They are going to do us out of 90 days’ redundancy money unless we go to Warrington.

“But we’ve told the bosses in no uncertain terms we won’t go there.

“There’s an awful atmosphere here – people are ready to tear heads off. I hate to think there would be industrial action - but there could be.”

The move has been on the cards for two years. Hopes had been raised that the decision would be reversed under the new Government.

Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson has campaigned against the sorting office closure since he was elected in 2008.

He told the Chronicle: “This will obviously be a very sad day for the workers at the Crewe Mail Centre.

“The supposed policy of the previous government was to move public sector jobs to the north of England, but under their tenure Crewe only saw decisions that pulled these jobs away.

“Lord Mandelson has a lot to answer for, as does the management of Royal Mail who have been less than understanding throughout the process.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said the move should come as no shock to workers.

He added: “It was always our intention to transfer the processing work from Crewe to Warrington Mail Centre on a phased basis, with the last of the work moving during July and August.

“We first communicated this to all our people at Crewe Mail Centre in November 2008. Since then, we have provided regular updates to staff and we have worked with them individually to find them new roles at Warrington.”

[Lounge Lizard]

Who would have thought it 20 or 30 years ago when Crewe Railway Station was a hive of activity at night with many TPOs loading and unloading ?