Royal Mail

Collections drivers at the York mail centre struck during the afternoon shift yesterday over disciplinary action being taken against a colleague. A Royal mail spokesman claimed that 30 workers walked out at 1.30 pm, leading to managers covering their duties, collecting mail from postboxes and businesses around the city.

Unions have rejected the postal group's plan to overhaul its pensions scheme and are poised to ballot nearly 150,000 members over whether they back the plan or not.

The 100 strikers, member of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), are refusing to deliver mail until at least 16th January following a meeting between workers. The extension came ahead of talks between the union and Royal Mail.

Burslem Delivery Office has been the site of a large number of unofficial walkouts this year, alongside the official strike action in August and October.

The vote was on a 64% turnout.

Many workers have reacted angrily to the news, with one employee on Royal Mail Chat stating:

The problem, according to headlines in the mainstream press, was a 2.5% pay rise being offered by Royal Mail to its 190,000 workers, along with some vague problems to do with ‘terms and conditions’.

The reality of what is being faced by the postal workers is far more complex and vastly more damaging, not just for them, but for everyone who wants to be sure of getting their mail.

Belfast
Postal workers in Belfast have won an important victory against management after unofficial action on Friday of last week. It took the workers just one and a half hours to force down bosses’ attempts to change start times.

Managers insisted that the workforce put forward their start times by two hours.

CWU bosses Billy Hayes and Dave Ward met with Royal Mail's Adam Crozier and Allan Leighton on the 12th of October, signing a deal just hours after Royal Mail had gained an injunction to prevent further strike action scheduled for the beginning of last week.

Almost all offices in North, East, South East and South West London have walked out, along with Liverpool; Edinburgh, Chester, Fife, Livingston, Peterborough, Dalkeith, Bristol, Leicester, Grangemouth, Kilwinning and Kent, also on unofficial strike. Glasgow walked out earlier in the week but have returned to work.

The document, a powerpoint presentation sent to general managers shortly after further strikes were announced in September, outlines Royal Mail's endgames for the talks. It includes a whole range of measures which postal workers said today would destroy the postal service if brought in.

Highlights include:

- No more negotiations with the CWU on every subject at every level