Royal Mail centres could grind to halt if Unite strike goes

[POSTMAN]

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Royal Mail centres across Britain could be paralysed if managers walk out on strike next month, Tribune has learned.

Royal Mail centres across Britain could be paralysed if managers walk out on strike next month, Tribune has learned.

The Unite union said this week it would ballot its 8,535 members in Royal Mail management after the company refused to guarantee there would be no compulsory redundancies. Officials in Unite and the Communication Workers Union, which represents postal workers, said that staff at mail and delivery centres may be unable to work on health and safety grounds.

Paul Reuter, Unite’s national officer for Royal Mail, said managers were responsible for ensuring health and safety: “If managers are not there, then it’s going to be difficult to fulfil that duty of care. It’s quite possible that could affect the delivery side of it. It’s unknown territory.”

But a CWU London region official said: “Every sorting office, every administrative centre, everything will shut. It’ll have to on the grounds of health and safety.”

“You have to have someone that can assume responsibility for all eventualities.” Some CWU officials are concerned that there could be disorder if offices had to be evacuated in an emergency.

Royal Mail is seeking 1,500 redundancies among non-operational staff, in cuts which Unite expects to fall in London.

The ballot in early November will be the first time Royal Mail managers have been balloted for industrial action since 1979. Members are expected to vote on strike action and action short of a strike.

Mr Reuter said Royal Mail could rule out compulsory redundancy if it wanted to. “In the last five years, we’ve shed roughly 1,000 jobs a year without any recourse to compulsory redundancy. If the business gets away with choosing who goes on what terms then that will become the norm.”

Unite had negotiated the figure down from around 2,000, he added.

Royal Mail said this week: “We continue talking with Unite and have stressed we will continue doing our utmost to manage any job losses by voluntary means.”

The Government pressed ahead with plans to privatise the Royal Mail as it published the Postal Services Bill this week.

[POSTMAN]

But a CWU London region official said: “Every sorting office, every administrative centre, everything will shut. It’ll have to on the grounds of health and safety.”

[Stormproof]

Members are expected to vote on strike action and action short of a strike.

What exactly is action short of a strike? Its not like they do overtime or SA Perhaps they might boycott the coffee machine

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Members are expected to vote on strike action and action short of a strike.

What exactly is action short of a strike? Its not like they do overtime or SA Perhaps they might boycott the coffee machine

Could be a go slow - Although the difference would be hard to spot.

In all seriousness it could be refusal to do anything except Managerial work. IE No delivery work, No OPG Work. It all depends on the wording of the ballot.

[westlondonpostie]

Royal Mail centres across Britain could be paralysed if managers walk out on strike next month,

[resperin]

if the phg's who get leadership allowance take over (which they will, sadly) - their strike wont be effective at all

[Lounge Lizard]

"But a CWU London region official said: “Every sorting office, every administrative centre, everything will shut. It’ll have to on the grounds of health and safety.” -
- so we would be sent home, but having turned up for work would be paid.

[Lounge Lizard]

"Paul Reuter, Unite’s national officer for Royal Mail, said managers were responsible for ensuring health and safety: “If managers are not there, then it’s going to be difficult to fulfil that duty of care. It’s quite possible that could affect the delivery side of it. It’s unknown territory.” As if I've never known a manager to have the slightest interest in Health and Safety

[DirtyHarry]

I have to say, that the health & safety angle being used as a reason why nobody will be able to work, has to be the most ludicrous thing I've heard for a long time.
Those managers are detrimental to the health & safety of postal workers at the best of times, their absence from our workplace would be no great loss.

[Phantom]

My office will be working as normal, health and safety is not an issue, you can work without a manager being there!

[Lounge Lizard]

My office will be working as normal, health and safety is not an issue, you can work without a manager being there!

Yes, and with offices working perfectly well without a manager this strike could be an own goal for them.

[woofwoof]

my office WILL cross there picket line 100%

[IloveMYredTROLLEY!]

LOL, imagine arriving at work to deliver your mail, only to be told the only thing you can deliver today is your 1/6th door to door (as no mail has come in from mail centre)!

Having said that, providing depot managers were present, they could still enforce indoor work on everyone, just like when we had deliveries cancelled on H&S grounds during the Xmas week last year (unbelieveably slippery ice on roads and pavements, on the outskirts of a south coast city). Oh yes, we had fun those three days, doing "deads" and surcharges, yet managers seemed to miss some staff playing cards!

[Lounge Lizard]

LOL, imagine arriving at work to deliver your mail, only to be told the only thing you can deliver today is your 1/6th door to door (as no mail has come in from mail centre)!

Having said that, providing depot managers were present, they could still enforce indoor work on everyone, just like when we had deliveries cancelled on H&S grounds during the Xmas week last year (unbelieveably slippery ice on roads and pavements, on the outskirts of a south coast city). Oh yes, we had fun those three days, doing "deads" and surcharges, yet managers seemed to miss some staff playing cards!

Up north we had unbelieveably slippery ice on roads and pavements during the Xmas week last year continuing for most of January but there was no suggestion that we wouldn't go out as normal on deliveries.

[rocky46]

In my unit we have someone with a leadership allowance, a first aider, myself as rep who does the resourcing and a H&S rep so we wouldn't need a manager apart from to do the lapsing.