Hundreds of postal workers set to join industrial action over closures, jobs and pay

9:00am Saturday 23rd March 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Jessica Nightingale, T&A Reporter

Postal workers in Bradford will join a national strike on Easter Saturday.

Main Post Offices in the area which will be affected by the action will include Darley Street, Bradford, and Keighley.

The industrial action involves hundreds of Crown Post Offices where staff are striking in a dispute over closures, jobs and pay.

Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) will walk out for 24 hours after backing industrial action in a ballot by almost nine to one.

Andy Lee, branch secretary for the union covering the Bradford area, said: “The strike is in opposition to the Post Offices due to be closed or franchised off which will result in hundreds of job losses.

“We would like to apologise to any disruption it may cause to customers in the district but would also like to ask them to support us, we are trying to keep the Post Offices open for them as well.

“I would advise anyone wanting to send any urgent post for Easter to send it in advance by about Thursday to avoid getting caught up in the action.”

The union said up to 4,000 workers will be involved, at 373 Crown offices – the larger sites usually situated in high streets.

The action is in protest at plans to close or franchise more than 70 Crown offices, as well as over pay and jobs.

Picket lines will be mounted outside the offices, which handle around a fifth of Post Office business.

A number of Crown offices have already been franchised to firms such as WH Smith.

The union said Post Office staff have not received a pay rise since April 2011.

CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward said: “With Post Office management refusing to negotiate, and with such a huge vote in favour of strike action, we have had no choice but to serve notice for strike action.

The Post Office said it was “disappointed” with the strike, adding that the CWU refused to understand the requirement for “critical change” across the Crown network which is losing £40 million a year.

The company said strike action would do nothing to change the need to drive forward its transformation strategy aimed at building a “profitable, modern and commercially viable” Crown network that is not reliant on Government funding.

The Post Office said it had offered a series of cash payments of up to £3,400 to be paid before April 2015.

Contingency plans are in place to ensure that any disruption to customers is kept to an “absolute minimum”.

Comments(14)

Joedavid says...
9:10am Sat 23 Mar 13

Not a bad day to strike, I would not expect them working Good Friday and Easter Monday so will not miss this Saturday delivery as well.
Also will give them a long weekend break which I guess is the motivation on choosing this.

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Mr Blondе says...
11:45am Sat 23 Mar 13

Have they been on strike yesterday & today, or are they blaming the weather for not delivering my mail?

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vikksy says...
12:01pm Sat 23 Mar 13

yes I wondered that mr B. may only work when the sun is out.

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Joedavid says...
12:03pm Sat 23 Mar 13

Mr Blondе wrote:
Have they been on strike yesterday & today, or are they blaming the weather for not delivering my mail?
Did not receive any yesterday too early to say about today.

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Another Landless Peasant says...
12:37pm Sat 23 Mar 13

Good luck to the striking workers, ignore the right-wing trolls, they are just selfish b'stards, I can assure you the vast majority of the public are behind you. GET OUT ON STRIKE AND STAY OUT !!!! BRING DOWN THIS EVIL TORY GOVERNMENT !!!

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Mr Blondе says...
1:22pm Sat 23 Mar 13

Another Landless Peasant wrote:
Good luck to the striking workers, ignore the right-wing trolls, they are just selfish b'stards, I can assure you the vast majority of the public are behind you. GET OUT ON STRIKE AND STAY OUT !!!! BRING DOWN THIS EVIL TORY GOVERNMENT !!!
Muppet.... Be quiet & get a job!!!

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Not so simple says...
2:00pm Sat 23 Mar 13

Way I look at it; if you got issues with your job and don't like it....leave and find a better job. Take a look at third world countiries who have kids working in the mills to produce products for the big companies in the west....those kids work and just get on with it. Shame it happens but the world leaders tend to ignore this.
Yet those fortunate enough to have jobs here take the monkey when they whine and moan about pay and conditions and that they need wage rises when the business is falling behind to competition! put things into perspective..get a grip.


Don't forget it was the unions that got you into this mess in the first place...they've been engaging in discussions with the management on your begalf with your weekly subscriptions..thank
s for a whole lot of nothing.

Now get back to work and start delivering me post!

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andybfc7 says...
2:35pm Sat 23 Mar 13

To clarify for those unable to read the article - the strike affects post offices and not deliveries.

Some may not have had post for the last two days as managers will not allow postal workers out on health and safety grounds. Do you think we enjoy trying to deliver 3 days worth of post in one day?

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Joedavid says...
4:08pm Sat 23 Mar 13

"Postal workers in Bradford..."
"Members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) ..."

So are postmen and women a different union etc.?

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Monster2211 says...
4:35pm Sat 23 Mar 13

Mr Blondе wrote:
Have they been on strike yesterday & today, or are they blaming the weather for not delivering my mail?
Mr blonde , you and several thousand people are under the perception that the post office deliver your mail,they do not !Royal Mail do the deliveries the post office are just agents for them,you did not get mail because Royal Mail did not go out in the snow ,as for the post office ,that was open all day.!

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The Hoffster says...
5:37pm Sat 23 Mar 13

Mr Blondе wrote:
Another Landless Peasant wrote:
Good luck to the striking workers, ignore the right-wing trolls, they are just selfish b'stards, I can assure you the vast majority of the public are behind you. GET OUT ON STRIKE AND STAY OUT !!!! BRING DOWN THIS EVIL TORY GOVERNMENT !!!
Muppet.... Be quiet & get a job!!!
And where do you suppose the jobs are??

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RollandSmoke says...
7:21pm Sat 23 Mar 13

Not so simple wrote:
Way I look at it; if you got issues with your job and don't like it....leave and find a better job. Take a look at third world countiries who have kids working in the mills to produce products for the big companies in the west....those kids work and just get on with it. Shame it happens but the world leaders tend to ignore this.
Yet those fortunate enough to have jobs here take the monkey when they whine and moan about pay and conditions and that they need wage rises when the business is falling behind to competition! put things into perspective..get a grip.


Don't forget it was the unions that got you into this mess in the first place...they've been engaging in discussions with the management on your begalf with your weekly subscriptions..thank

s for a whole lot of nothing.

Now get back to work and start delivering me post!
Did you write that on your iphone made at the foxconn factory where 18 people attempted suicide and 14 died? Is that the working conditions we want here? Does the blood just wipe off?

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Not so simple says...
11:38pm Sat 23 Mar 13

RollandSmoke wrote:
Not so simple wrote:
Way I look at it; if you got issues with your job and don't like it....leave and find a better job. Take a look at third world countiries who have kids working in the mills to produce products for the big companies in the west....those kids work and just get on with it. Shame it happens but the world leaders tend to ignore this.
Yet those fortunate enough to have jobs here take the monkey when they whine and moan about pay and conditions and that they need wage rises when the business is falling behind to competition! put things into perspective..get a grip.


Don't forget it was the unions that got you into this mess in the first place...they've been engaging in discussions with the management on your begalf with your weekly subscriptions..thank


s for a whole lot of nothing.

Now get back to work and start delivering me post!
Did you write that on your iphone made at the foxconn factory where 18 people attempted suicide and 14 died? Is that the working conditions we want here? Does the blood just wipe off?
Aye, it's the price manufacturers pay to get us cheap electronics in the west. The consumer is rarely made aware of these abuses to the workers rights.

I recall primark or was it Walmart ( open to correecion ) many years ago along with Nike were in the news for employing contractors to manufacture items who indirectly employed child labour etc.
I always say that if owt is made abroad then surely the manufacturers and trade mark owners are sometimes either blind,negligent, unaware of child labour and low wages.

Ps I believe the processor factory you allude to supplies the likes of Samsung and apple and others.

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Not so simple says...
11:40pm Sat 23 Mar 13

Ps the manufacturing base is dying in England.

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