The Communication Workers Union (CWU) yesterday said that its 16,000-strong Royal Mail membership in London, covering 159 workplaces in the Greater London area, are likely to strike next month.
The London membership is being balloted over Royal Mail’s cuts in services to the public and their jobs, terms and conditions.
pokesperson for London said: ‘It is clear that Royal Mail is deliberately running down the Royal Mail service ahead of partial privatisation.
‘This has nothing whatsoever to do with modernising the postal service as walk sorting machines have still not been introduced despite the funding having been made available for the purchase of this equipment for the last three years.
‘Instead, this is about the destruction of services, the erosion of full time jobs and reducing the terms and conditions of the lowest paid workers in Royal Mail whilst at the same time managers continue to profit from fat cat bonuses and obscene rates of pay.
‘The strike ballot in London is about defending the future of Royal Mail and the services it provides to the public as well as protecting our members against Royal Mail’s slash and burn policy in an attempt to try and fool the public with that old trick of rubbishing the system so privatisation looks better.
‘The public are a lot more sophisticated and won’t fall for that old trick.’
He added: ‘Despite the lies espoused in some quarters, Royal Mail is not in crisis.
‘Unlike TNT and Deutsche Post, Royal Mail announced record profits for the first six months and is avoiding announcing the full year’s profits due to the fact that this may embarrass them and the government’s desire for privatising Royal Mail.
‘London postal workers want a nationally negotiated Agreement, not a strike.
‘However, whilst Royal Mail continues to virtually derecognise the CWU and break existing National Agreements including, in our view, breaking the law on redundancy, then we will take whatever means necessary to preserve Royal Mail as a respected and cherished public service.’
The MP for Corby, health minister Phil Hope, who reneged on a promise to oppose Royal Mail privatisation, has become the Labour MP having to pay back the most expenses.
He is to repay £41,709 in second home allowances.
CWU Eastern Region secretary Paul Moffatt commented: ‘He should pay the money back. It’s a disgrace he’s taken all that money whether it’s against the rules or not.
‘He lost the respect of the people of Corby over his support for Royal Mail privatisation anyway.
‘It’s the same with Luton South MP Margaret Moran, she wouldn’t sign the EDM against privatisation, yet her office phoned up our CWU branch for a donation to her campaign!’
Moran is paying back £22,500 she claimed for treating dry rot at a property in Southampton.
