Post Office strike moves closer as bosses refuse to end pay freeze
Postal, Post Office (PO) January 24 2022Dramatic day at the CWU industrial executive, as delegates unanimously approve a strike ballot…
“It’s outrageous that Post Office senior directors can find millions to waste on defending themselves in court action over Horizon but refuse to even offer any pay rise at all to hard-working staff,” stormed CWU assistant secretary Andy Furey this afternoon.
Speaking to CWU News just after the union’s postal executive committee meeting concluded, Andy revealed that the meeting had formally endorsed a plan to move towards a national industrial action ballot of all members.
“Perhaps if the senior bosses had not squandered over a billion pounds on wrongly prosecuting postmasters, or perhaps if they had not given away lucrative Crown Office operations to private retailers, or maybe even if they did not continually lavish enormous sums on themselves – maybe the finances would be in better shape,” he pointed out.
“To impose a pay freeze after the two years that our frontline members have been through, going above and beyond the call of duty to maintain essential services to the Great British public is totally unacceptable.
“To impose a pay freeze when the dedicated efforts on our members have kept the Post Office in commercial profitability is a downright disgrace.
“And to do all this at a time when inflation is the highest it’s been for many years is absolutely outrageous. Clearly our members deserve better from the Post Office”
As CWU News reported just before Christmas, both the union and the Post Office management entered into talks under the auspices of independent arbitration service ACAS at the beginning of the New Year – in accordance with the statutory procedures appertaining within the sector.
But, after several sessions, the Post Office leadership refused to make any movement on its pay freeze policy.
With the ballot timetable now under consideration, Andy will be meeting this week with his team of frontline Post Office CWU reps to develop the union’s strategy.
“Make no mistake, our members are united on this disgraceful situation. And are very, very angry.
“This union, our members, will fight for a decent and fair pay deal and will deliver a result that exposes the Post Office’s double standards.”