Posties gearing up for latest round of strikes

Oct 28 2009 by Jackie Grant, Dumfries Standard Wednesday

POSTAL staff in Dumfries are preparing for another three days of strike action this week as the row between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) continues.

Mail centre staff and drivers began a 24-hour walkout last Thursday and delivery and collection staff at Dumfries formed a picket line at King Street last Friday resulting in a massive backlog of undelivered letters.

Earlier this month, postal workers voted three to one in favour of nationwide industrial action over a row about how Royal Mail is to be modernised.

The CWU served notice for strike action when a proposal to resolve the dispute was rejected by the Royal Mail after a day of talks.

It is the biggest dispute with Royal Mail over pay, jobs and services since the national strike of 2007.

One local postman said the strike action was a last chance to save jobs. He added: This is a hard hit for everyone. We dont want to be here but this is our last chance to save our jobs. I have two kids and a mortgage to pay. Ive been a postie for 23 years since I left school and I love my job.

Its close to Christmas and we all need the money, but we need this dispute resolved in a satisfactory way.

Another said: We have to make a stance because Royal Mail is just using bullying tactics now. Some of the men here today have young kids and mortgages to pay and we need to be heard.

We are prepared to go on strike again on Thursday, Friday and Saturday if nothing gets resolved before that.

John Reilly, CWU unit representative for Dumfries, said: Royal Mail has increased our workload and reduced services in a bid to increase profits to pay for pensions.

They keep going on about modernisation but how does that equate to the closure of 3,000 sub offices, cancellation of the second delivery and now we are forced to deliver at 3pm and 4pm in the afternoon?

If we dont win this, these boys wont have jobs it will be a part-time industry and will have a drastic affect on the public.

We are a public service and we are proud to deliver mail. We dont want to deliver at four in the afternoon.

We have agreed contracts stating we finish the working day by 3pm but they are forcing us to work later than that for no extra pay. Its a disgrace.

The two sides were due to resume talks at the Trades Union Congress in central London yesterday in a bid to end the strike.