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100,000 rush for post strike jobs
Dick Murray, Transport Correspondent19 Oct 2009
At least 100,000 people are expected to apply to become temporary postal workers in a jobs rush sparked by the planned mail strike.
Royal Mail has been flooded with applications after trying to recruit 30,000 workers to deal with the backlog caused by stoppages on Thursday and Friday.
The positions, paying around £5.95 an hour for a 40-hour week, are usually snapped up by students in the run-up to Christmas. Royal Mail said the huge number of people who had applied had been fuelled by the recession.
More than 85,000 people have already come forward, with the total expected to hit six figures in days.
Talks between the two sides continued today, with Royal Mail confident that the industrial action planned for this week could be averted.
But the Communication Workers Union threatened legal action over the “inflammatory” bid to recruit the 30,000 temporary staff, and warned that the stoppages could be the first of many before Christmas.
A spokeswoman for Royal Mail insisted the temporary staff would not be used to deliver mail or carry out work in place of those on strike. The jobs, mostly in sorting offices, are on offer in an online advert which reads: “Christmas jobs at Royal Mail; Santa isn't the only one who needs help this Christmas.
Royal Mail delivers to very address in the UK and we're going to be busy over the festive period. We'll be sorting more than 130 million items each day, nearly double the usual amount, and we need help from extra people.”
Normally between 15,000 and 17,500 temporary workers are hired at this time of the year.
Union members voted last week to take action in a dispute over modernisation and changes to pay and conditions. Up to 120,000 staff could take part. According to union sources, up to 15 million items are already stuck in the post as a result of local disputes.
Gordon Brown was said be “very concerned” about the impact of a strike and was monitoring the situation “very closely”.
CWU general secretary Billy Hayes said: “The union remains available for talks.”
Reader views (16)
Do what Reagan did to the striking American air traffic controllers back in the 80's. Sack the strikers and take on the people that want to work. Simple.
- Richard, Surrey, 19/10/2009 21:37
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How easy it is for people to make comments like sack the lot of them, especiallly when people do not fully appreciate what exactly postal workers might actually be going thru. Why not find out the real facts, then make your judgement!
- Will, Wimbledon, 19/10/2009 21:19
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100,000 potential scabs then ????
- Terence Harrington, Canterbury, UK, 19/10/2009 19:39
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Am I being a bit dim here,but how are this people getting checked to become part time staff??
Does this mean that some of our post may get stolen??
- Frank Colley, london, 19/10/2009 19:16
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Funny how its only now that these temp jobs can suddenly be created.Kick out Crozier and his £2-3 million pay and get someone who knows what they are doing and preferently not another of Gordons Jock friends again
- Mike, London England and once GREAT Britain, 19/10/2009 19:13
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i have had to come back on this article how can anyone expect to live on this wage, they must be all be on benefits, or am i missing something?
- Steve, England, 19/10/2009 19:09
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Only a scab would take a striking mans job whether they should strike or not is immaterial.Sadly there is plenty of scabs in the UK
- Tony, Essex, 19/10/2009 18:43
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We will do without the Royal Mail, as we do without coal, without rag-and-bone men, without British cars, and without any other relic of the 1970s. Royal Mail RIP.
- Neil, London, London UK, 19/10/2009 17:28
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The fact is public sector jobs and semi public sector jobs like postal services given their pension benefits is far superior to what anyone can get in private sector now. They should deem themselves lucky and get on doing their job. If they strike, there is clear danger of either their jobs being at risk because others are in a queue to join or Post Office itself being financially unviable. The worker are cutting their nose to spite their face.
- Nat, New Malden, 19/10/2009 16:57
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The postal workers try their best in a difficult situation, but they are badly led by their union. At a time of high unemployment they are going to lose all their jobs if they go on strike because there are people who want to work in their place who will do it without a union.
So if this goes the full course there'll not only be ex-postal workers unemployed but also an ex-union with no members.
Now who's being a silly boy then?
- Puxty1755, London UK, 19/10/2009 16:54
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240pound a week, 40 hours this is 2009 or am i back in the 70s?
- Steve, England, 19/10/2009 16:51
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This might wake up the Union leaders, their members are not irreplaceable, no one is in this day and age, more to the point there are lots of people out there desperate to work.
The implied strong than Scargill threat will back fire on his members if they don't wake up to the reality of the employment market.
- Cg, Huntingdon, 19/10/2009 16:49
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CWU take note! I guess your job conditions aren't quite as bad as you make out.
- Alex, London, 19/10/2009 15:47
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Brown might be "very concerned" but at the end of the day he will do whatever the Unions tell him to do, he won't bite the hand that feeds his party.
- St, London, 19/10/2009 15:36
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Make them full time and fire the ones who go on strike.
- Mick Murphy, Croydon, UK, 19/10/2009 15:19
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Remember President Reagan and the air traffic controllers.
- Tony Gee, London, 19/10/2009 14:42
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