Royal Mail staff announce further 19 strikes over next two months

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Royal Mail staff announce further 19 strikes over next two months

Postby dutchman » Wed Sep 28, 2022 1:36 am

Communication Workers Union say industrial action will cover Black Friday and the Christmas buildup

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Royal Mail workers are to hold a further 19 strikes in October and November in a deteriorating and long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) announced that the industrial action in the run up to Christmas will be a mixture of single days and rolling action across Royal Mail Group’s network.

The union said it will have a “dramatic impact” and will also cover peak mail periods such as Black Friday on 25 November and Cyber Monday on 28 November.

It added that the decision follows a threat centred around the “outrageous” decision by Royal Mail Group’s senior management to withdraw from major national agreements, push ahead with cuts to workers’ terms and conditions and “completely sideline” the union.

The CWU general secretary, Dave Ward, said: “This is a significant announcement, but it is one which matches the level of anger our members feel at the way Royal Mail Group has treated them.

“The chief executive of Royal Mail Group is treating postal workers as if they are stupid. These are the same people that have kept the country connected and returned Royal Mail Group to record profit.”

Royal Mail workers staged strike action over three days in August and September.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said on 22 September it invited CWU to enter into talks through Acas, the arbitration service, to find a resolution to our dispute on change and pay.

The spokesperson added: “This evening, rather than responding to our offer of Acas talks, the CWU announced further damaging industrial action, once again taking the path of prolonging disruption over resolution.

“Royal Mail is losing £1m a day and must change faster in response to changing customer demands. We operate in a competitive market, and our customers have choices.

“Further strikes and resistance to transformation by CWU will only make our financial position worse, and threatens the long-term job security of our postmen and women.

“The CWU has a responsibility to recognise the reality of the situation Royal Mail faces as a business and engage urgently on the changes required.

“We apologise to our customers for the inconvenience the CWU’s continued strike action will cause. We are doing all we can to minimise any delays and keep people, businesses and the country connected.”

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Re: Royal Mail staff announce further 19 strikes over next two months

Postby dutchman » Wed Sep 28, 2022 2:00 am

Announcement timed to cause maximum embarrassment to Keir Starmer's Labour Party Conference! :stir:
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Re: Royal Mail staff announce further 19 strikes over next two months

Postby dutchman » Wed Nov 02, 2022 7:44 pm

Royal Mail workers to stage 48-hour strikes in pay dispute

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Royal Mail workers will stage two 48-hour strikes around Black Friday and Cyber Monday after their union rejected the company’s latest pay offer and programme for change, describing it as a “declaration of war on posties”.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which represents Royal Mail staff, announced on Tuesday night that workers would be striking on 24 November and 25 November, known as Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year.

Workers will start a second 48-hour strike on 30 November, two days after Cyber Monday, one of the busiest shopping days for online purchases. Many retailers run promotions for two weeks, leading to increased demand for deliveries.

The union’s postal executive will meet on Thursday to discuss fresh action in the run-up to Christmas. It also plans to hold a vote among members on the deal Royal Mail announced on Monday, as well as a vote of no confidence in the chief executive, Simon Thompson.

Royal Mail’s latest offer includes a 7% salary increase over two years, along with a lump sum payment worth 2% of pay this year. Its “conditional pay-for-change offer” was an attempt to end a long-running dispute over pay and conditions but the CWU called it a “derisory” offer that disguised a real-terms pay cut.

The union said the widespread changes over introducing “Uber-style owner-drivers”, mail centre closures and changes to Sunday working had prompted widespread outrage from workers.

The CWU general secretary, Dave Ward, said: “Posties are in the fight of their lives against the Uberisation of Royal Mail and the destruction of their conditions.

“But 115,000 of our members will not just accept this war on their livelihoods and their industry. They will never give up the fight to protect this industry and to protect their hard-won working conditions.

“Simon Thompson has to either accept that or walk away – until he does one or the other, serious disruption will continue.”

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Re: Royal Mail staff announce further 19 strikes over next two months

Postby dutchman » Wed Nov 02, 2022 7:46 pm

Methinks the union is digging its own grave? There's a million white-van drivers happy to take their place. :roll:
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Re: Royal Mail staff announce further 19 strikes over next two months

Postby rebbonk » Wed Nov 02, 2022 8:09 pm

I cannot help but agree.
Of course it'll fit; you just need a bigger hammer.
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Re: Royal Mail staff announce further 19 strikes over next two months

Postby dutchman » Fri Nov 18, 2022 3:15 am

Royal Mail union targets Christmas post with fresh wave of strikes

Royal Mail workers are to strike on Christmas Eve and throughout December in industrial action that could bring misery to millions hoping to send presents and cards.

The Communication Workers Union last night said it would not allow bosses at Royal Mail "to destroy the livelihoods of postal workers.”

The union said workers would strike on December 9, 11, 14, 15, 23 and 24.

The action comes as millions of people celebrating Christmas will be hoping to use Royal Mail to deliver festive gifts and cards to their loved ones, as well as to order goods for parties and dinners. The CWU had already targeted the Black Friday weekend with strikes scheduled for Nov 24, 25, 30 and Dec 1, when shoppers flock to online stores to sweep up bargains before Christmas.

A Communication Workers Union spokesperson said: “The CWU want a negotiated settlement with Royal Mail Group and will continue to engage the company to that end.

“But those in charge of Royal Mail need to wake up and realise we won’t allow them to destroy the livelihoods of postal workers.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Our preference is for an agreement with the CWU but the change we need is not optional.

“They should be focused on a resolution to this dispute for their members and the long-term health of the business, rather than damaging strike action.”

News of the fresh strikes comes a day after Royal Mail said talks with the union aimed at averting a strike had been extended.

Royal Mail, the UK arm of International Distribution Services, has been locked in a bitter dispute with the CWU over pay and job conditions, leading to several days of strikes this year.

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Re: Royal Mail staff announce further 19 strikes over next two months

Postby dutchman » Fri Nov 18, 2022 3:21 am

Seems to me the union is targeting customers who have no say in the matter which will destroy any sympathy the public may have had?

Someone should also remind them who is subsidising the gold-plated post office pensions which were agreed before privatisation. :roll:
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Re: Royal Mail staff announce further 19 strikes over next two months

Postby dutchman » Wed Nov 30, 2022 11:51 pm

Royal Mail staff say parcels prioritised over letters

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Letters are being left for days in sorting offices with staff told to prioritise parcels and tracked items due to a backlog caused by postal strikes, workers have claimed.

Hospital letters can remain undelivered for days, one worker in south-west Wales has told BBC Wales.

Two postal workers have agreed to speak to BBC Wales about their concerns but wished to remain anonymous.

One claimed he was being told by managers to leave letters behind in the sorting office.

"Especially with these strike days, we know tomorrow it's going to be a big day for us," he said.

"First thing management will say is 'no overtime allowed and just clear your parcels and leave all the mail', so that can mean you'll have half a job left on the deck."

He claimed that he had personally seen what looked like hospital appointment letters being left behind for several days.

"This week I've had a hospital appointment on my round that has been there for two days," he said.

"Unfortunately, you don't agree with your management but you have to do what they tell you to do.

"You just bite your tongue and just do it."

Another worker claimed "it has got the point in our office that, on a daily basis, we've been told by management to prioritise parcels and tracked items over hospital appointment letters".

"We've put our heads above the parapet because we've had enough of what's going on locally and we want to see a change."

:bbc_news:
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Re: Royal Mail staff announce further 19 strikes over next two months

Postby dutchman » Sun Dec 04, 2022 4:32 am

Union reveals huge backlog of Christmas post amid strike chaos

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Christmas post is already starting to pile up in delivery centres across the country, as Royal Mail workers prepare to launch a fresh wave of strikes this month.

The Communication Workers’ Union has planned six days of further strike action in December amid a row with Royal Mail over pay and working conditions.

Over 100,000 workers will stage a walkout on Friday December 9, Sunday December 11, Wednesday December 14, Thursday December 15, Friday December 23 and Christmas Eve.

But festive gifts and cards are already piling up in delivery centres, as the service struggles to cope with customers rushing to postboxes before the walkouts.

CWU videos posted online appeared to show warehouses filled with rows of undelivered parcels and boxes. The union tweeted: “All across the UK the Christmas mail is piling up.”

It said that its members wanted to end the strike but Royal Mail bosses had refused to engage.

Royal Mail has urged its customers to post Christmas presents and cards as early as possible in advance of the strikes.

If customers want an item delivered by Christmas Day, they should post second class items at the latest by December 12, while first class items should be sent no later than December 16, according to Royal Mail.

Special deliveries and tracked guaranteed items should be sent by December 21.

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Re: Royal Mail staff announce further 19 strikes over next two months

Postby rebbonk » Sun Dec 04, 2022 2:42 pm

I notice that they're still delivering 'junk' mail. Surely that ought to be taking a back-seat? - Unless the junk mailers are the only ones that use Royal Mail these days?
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