Growing Postal Strikes and a National Ballot as Royal Mail Refuse to Negotiate

Thousands of postal workers go on strike this Friday, Saturday and Monday as growing unrest leads to the Communication Workers Union calling a national strike ballot.

Postal workers in Birmingham, Coventry, Edinburgh, London and other locations (full list below) will each take 24 hours of strike action. For the first time since the national dispute of 2007 this includes Royal Mail drivers meaning cross-country mail services will be severely disrupted. In addition, a national strike ballot will be conducted in September.

Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary said: "Postal workers are sick and tired of an incompetent management running their business into the ground. Workers are busier than ever and being treated badly. The current round of cuts in jobs and services is unacceptable.

"Royal Mail agreed in 2007 to work with the union on agreeing modernisation. Despite explicit commitments to negotiate they are reneging on that agreement and imposing panic-driven cuts to jobs and services. This is downsizing, not modernisation.

"The company has failed to set out any clear or joined up vision of what modernisation really means. They must stop imposing change and work with the union to agree the bigger picture of modernisation that the postal service badly needs."

Strike action will go ahead over the next few days in:

Friday 7^th August:
Birmingham Vehicle Operation Centre
Burslem
Coventry Vehicle Operation Centre
Essex Regional Distribution Centre
Huntingdon
London
Northampton National Distribution Centre
Peterborough delivery office

Saturday 8^th August:
Bathgate
Boness
Boston
Bristol delivery offices
Dalkeith
Edinburgh mail centre
Edinburgh deliveries
Hadfield (NW)
Peterborough
Skegness

Monday 10^th August:
Alloa
Dunfermline
Cowden Beath
Grangemouth
Ipswich mail centre
Kings Lynn
Stanton
Bury St Edmonds
Thetford (Suffolk)