Strike over Christmas would be a ‘death wish’, postal union told
Author: By Terri Judd and Kevin Rawlinson
Small and online retail firms in particular could be crippled by “deplorable”
industrial action at Royal Mail in the lead up to Christmas, a vital quarter
in which many were hoping to see a traditional boost in sales make up for a
dire year.
Yesterday members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) backed a nationwide
walkout in protest at the “imposition” of changes to working
practices as well as cuts in their pay and job losses, following a spate of
regional strikes which have led to huge backlogs of mail. Two thirds of
almost 81,000 CWU members took part in the ballot, with 76.24 per cent
voting in favour of strike action. It is not known when a strike would take
place or how long it would last.
“At a time when businesses are taking drastic measures to keep as many
people in employment as possible, the CWU’s call for strike action in the
run-up to the busy Christmas period is akin to a death wish,” said Dr
Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce.
Politicians and business groups urged both sides to resolve the dispute and
called for Government action, despite its refusal to intervene directly in
the long-running row.
CWU Deputy general secretary Dave Ward agreed it was “unacceptable for
the Government to sit on the sidelines”, blaming it for many of Royal
Mail’s problems after introducing competition earlier than elsewhere in
Europe. Union leaders are due to meet on Monday to decide on their next move
and what possible form strike action could take, accusing Royal Mail of
arrogance and running down the business.
“There’s still an opportunity to reach an agreement before any national
strike action takes place,” said Mr Ward. “We need a national
agreement which secures a fair deal on modernisation and reward for the
efforts of postal workers in transforming the business. We want reassurances
on job security, covering both redundancies and full-time/part-time ratios.”
Royal Mail retorted by calling a planned strike “deplorable and
irresponsible” and said it would drive customers away and undermine
confidence in the industry. Managing director Mark Higson said: “It is
clearly reprehensible for the union to continue to hold strikes when Royal
Mail is not planning any further efficiency changes for the rest of the 2009
calendar year and the priority facing everyone in Royal Mail is to deliver
the best possible service to customers in the run-up to Christmas. We call
on the (CWU) to stop the strikes, get back round the table and talk.”
Across Britain business were holding emergency talks yesterday to try to find
a way around the problem. Many large companies such as Amazon, Lloyds
Banking Group and British Gas, having endured the 2007 strike that crippled
deliveries nationwide, said they had alternatives in place. Two years ago
Royal Mail lost a contract worth £8m a year to deliver second class post for
Amazon.
The Department of Health said it would expect trusts to have contingency plans
so that patients were not affected and energy companies such as E.ON said
they would be tolerant about payments as long as customers kept them
informed.
Graeme Leach, chief economist at the Institute of Directors, said: “Postal
workers need to understand they are shooting themselves in the foot.”
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