Striking Belfast postal workers yesterday told union representatives that they are not going back to work.
Communications Workers Union spokesman, Owen Davey, said after an early morning meeting, that the strikers’ position had not changed over the unofficial action, which began on Tuesday of last week.
Around 200 workers at the Tomb Street delivery office, Belfast walked out then, in a dispute over heavy-handed disciplinary procedures and ‘management bullying’.
Davey said: ‘Again we repudiated the action and asked them to go back to work, pointing out that the action was illegal.
‘They were adamant that their resolve was strong and they were staying out until the Royal Mail concedes to what is a reasonable request for an independent employee and industrial relations review.’
A Belfast CWU spokesman told News Line: ‘The men feel they are strong enough to take on Royal Mail.
‘They said “we will stick it out, we are sick of the bullying within the industry”.’
Post has been disrupted in north, south and west Belfast since the dispute began. Deliveries in the east of the city have continued. But no mail posted in Belfast is being processed or delivered.
The unofficial action spread to the main sorting office at Mallusk, County Antrim, last Friday, sparking fears the dispute could escalate throughout the north of Ireland.
Royal Mail claimed a majority of workers at the Mallusk depot turned up last Sunday night and again last Monday but the CWU Belfast spokesman told News Line: ‘The Mail Centre at Mallusk is still out, the reports that they went back are media fabrications.’
He added that the strikers ‘made history’ when they marched down the Shankill Road and Falls Road last Tuesday.
The striking postal workers had held a mass rally in Belfast city centre at Transport House, near the Tomb Street depot, last Tuesday.
CWU national official Ray Ellis flew in from London and told the rally the strike was unofficial and should be ended.
He added Royal Mail should agree to a review of employee relations.
Unconvinced, several hundred strikers staged a march up the unionist Shankill Road and down the nationalist Falls Road, making the point the dispute was not sectarian, before parading through Belfast city centre and maintaining the strike.
The Belfast CWU spokesman added: ‘That hasn’t happened for 71 years. The local politicians from all parties met the marchers and have come aboard to support the postal workers.’
Royal Mail has refused to enter negotiations with the strikers until they call off their action.
