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Post staff hit by gridlock
Strike union says Royal Mail road policy is adding to problems
POSTAL workers in the West End say they are wasting hours of delivery time stuck in heavy traffic due to a decision by Royal Mail bosses to end all foot deliveries.
Royal Mail has devised a series of rounds, called “duties”, which can only be completed with the aid of a driver.
Management have commissioned dozens of small vans – but staff say they are unsuitable for postal deliveries.
John Hart, secretary of the Commercial Workers Union (CWU) West End Amalgamated (WEA) depot in Rathbone Place, said: “What is happening at Rathbone Place is that Royal Mail have taken out around 100 duties. There are no foot deliveries – they’ve done away with it. It may sound alright, but it makes our lives a misery. Our office covers the W1 post code and West End Central. It is the second-most congested area in the country, behind the City.”
He added: “They say this is modernisation – but modernisation should be about getting the post out earlier. If you can show me one letter that has reached its destination since they imposed these changes then I’d be amazed.”
More than 700 CWU members at WEA depot are set to walked out on strike yesterday (Thursday) as part of a national day of industrial action.
They have already been on strike for 14 days since June – losing at least £1,000 pay each over three months.
Mr Hart said management were holding one-on-one meetings with staff to offer voluntary redundancies, part-time packages or retraining grants of £500.
He said: “To be honest, some are taking them, because it’s better than going on with this stress. But the offers for redundancy are all just about getting rid of full-timers so they can replace them with people who are willing to work for £6 an hour.”
Royal Mail is increasingly employing casual workers to deliver post while staff are out on strike. One sickening aspect of the action for CWU members has been the sight of their managers volunteering to cross the picket lines and deliver mail while they are out on strike. The CWU is calling for members of the Communication Managers Association (CMA), which is part of the union Unite, who “scab” to be immediately expelled.
Mr Hart said: “You cannot defend that. How can a union sit by as members break a lawful picket? They are fools to themselves because, in the end, they will come for them too.”
A Royal Mail spokesman said: “The CWU leadership is well aware that it has already agreed all the changes Royal Mail is making and we urge them to recognise the tough economic conditions faced by all our customers and Royal Mail itself and to live up to their claims to support modernisation and to focus – as the company is doing – on delivering the postal service on which so many customers depend.”
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