Post Office Ltd 'open to discussions' with striking union

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Post Office Ltd insisted yesterday that it remains open to negotiations with striking unionists regarding pay options, as long as it does not add to losses being racked up by Crown post offices.

The UK state-owned post office operator issued a statement following Tuesday’s industrial action by the Communication Workers Union, protesting the outsourcing of 76 of the 373 large post offices owned and operated by Post Office Ltd.

The action was the fifth strike organized by the CWU this year.

Post Office Ltd, which has said previously that is Crown post offices are generating a £37m annual loss at the moment, said yesterday it was working hard to minimise the effect of strike action. The company said it was disappointed that the CWU is planning further strike action while negotiations are still ongoing.

Kevin Gilliland, Network and Sales Director at the Post Office said: “We must continue with our plans to turnaround the Crown network and ensure we keep these branches on high streets in city centres across the UK. We remain open to discussions with the CWU on pay options which do not add to the current loss of public money.”

Post Office Ltd said 240 of its Crown branches remained open during Tuesday’s strike action, along with more than 11,000 post offices already run by franchisees and retail partners across the country.

The CWU said more than 100 post offices were closed all day, while others were only able to provide reduced services with casual staff and managers stepping in to cover for striking employees.

The union claims 800 jobs are at risk from Post Office Ltd’s plans to bring in a retail partner or partners to run 76 of its Crown outlets.

The CWU is also demanding a pay rise for workers, and is unhappy with an offer by management to provide a £3,400 bonus linked to modernisation targets being achieved up to April 2015.