CWU preparing for ballot on national Royal Mail postal strike

Since June workers at Royal Mail have been staging continuous localised strikes in protest to Royal Mail’s modernisation plans.

The CWU claims that the strike actions have caused a massive backlog of around 22 million items of undelivered post. However Royal Mail has disputed the effects of the strike, saying that only four to five million items were undelivered.

Royal Mail has condemned the proposed national strike as “wholly irresponsible” and have said that the CWU is striking against plans and proposals that were already agreed in a 2007 deal.

The CWU however has described Royal Mail’s modernisation plans as “frightening and unprecedented” and has said that the company is going ahead with changes without taking into account the opinions or interests of staff.

Royal Mail is currently experiencing a 10 per cent yearly fall in postal volumes thanks to the development of email and social networking sites. Earlier this year the Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, said the government was “not for turning” on a plan to privatise the Royal Mail.

However the plan was shelved after Labour suffered a heavy defeat in the local and European elections in June.

The ballot for the national strike action will go out to 130,000 postal workers and will remain open until 8 October. Should members of the union vote for a national strike it could go ahead as soon as 16 October.

Localised strikes have continued throughout this week. Today drivers from 14 distribution centres across the country have gone on strike and there is currently a London-wide walkout by workers in delivery offices.

On Friday workers at four Scottish delivery offices are also to go on strike.