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Royal Mail managers use taxis to beat postal strike
Dick Murray and Rashid Razaq29.10.09
Hundreds of Royal Mail managers were forced to step in and make deliveries across the capital today as escalating strike action began to threaten Christmas deliveries.
At Mount Pleasant sorting office, a witness told how about 20 senior managers crossed the picket line this morning with sacks of mail to get into private courier vans and, in one instance, a black cab.
The executives have been forced to pitch in as a backlog of 100 million items is expected to result from the next three days of walk-outs.
About 43,700 staff across the country in mail centres, delivery network logistic drivers and garage workers began action at 4am today. Pickets were on duty across London at the Mount Pleasant, Nine Elms and East London sorting offices.
As the second phase of action began, the Communication Workers Union general secretary warned it could escalate into longer walkouts.
Billy Hayes said there was "every prospect" that industrial action will now be stepped up. Mr Hayes said: "We will be upping the dispute. We will not be scaling it down. There is every prospect that we will increase the action and we could be looking at longer strikes."
CWU negotiators are deadlocked with Royal Mail management over the threat to jobs and pay. Tomorrow 400 workers in Plymouth, Stockport and Stoke, who redirect badly-addressed mail, will walk out, while 77,000 delivery and collection staff will strike on Saturday.
Mr Hayes revealed that the union was close to making a decision on whether to take legal action over Royal Mail's move to hire 30,000 agency workers to deal with the backlog of mail caused by the strike and the Christmas rush.
Both sides blamed the other for the collapse of talks at TUC headquarters this week, saying the failure to safeguard Christmas deliveries was a key factor.
Royal Mail wanted "real security" over the period, but union chiefs refused to rule out further strikes. Royal Mail also refused to pay staff overtime to clear the backlog, which reached 30 million items after last week's 48-hour stoppages. The London Chamber of Commerce said the dispute had cost London firms more than £500million, with nearly half of that due to last week's strike. Losses could now more than double.
A senior CWU official said: "We are in this for the long haul." Royal Mail managing director Mark Higson said: "We have asked for a common-sense approach that allows a strike-free Christmas while we talk, yet even that seems too much for the CWU."
Reader views (16)
Royal mail has not lost any money they made a profit of 350 million this year ,the postmen are fighting to mantain a service that is taken for granted in the seven years of the new Royal Mail Management we have went from two posts a day to one and plans are in place to reduce that again every other day and if companys want there mail early they will pay 3 grand a year for it .The minus 10 billion in the Royal mail pension they kept harping on about is due to Royal Mail not putting any money into it for 15 years,
- William, belfast
Why do we not get a more detailed reference to the "legal action" threatened against Royal Mail for employing temporary staff ? Surely this is a bogus threat or just plain stupid.
I suppose few are buying stamps at the moment; even less for running Royal Mail and paying the troublemakers.
- Michael, London, UK
And look who has not said a word about this? The Prince of Darkness,The man that they the workers Snubbed.
Mandy doing a Maggie!
- Bill Francis-Williams, Beaumont Pied de Beouf
Some years ago when I worked in a Royal Mail sorting office in the London area, a manager, who had worked his way up from Telegram boy, applied for the job of overall manager. He was turned down and the job was given to an outsider. That is what is wrong with the management in Royal Mail now, they wont listen to the people who know the the job inside out.
- Duncan, Fife
Its only seems appropriate that now Britain is regarded as virtually a third world country that we should have a postal service to match.
- Paul Kew, Bent Kent in Broken Britain
The CWU is committing suicide. They are relying on government not allowing 'Royal Mail' to go bankrupt. It is already loss making and will continue to lose large contracts e.g. Amazon, which will only add to the pressure to modernise/downsize.
- Adam, London
i wonder how the CWU will feel once it has successfully made it members redundant. dont they see that they are having little effect on anyone. businesses as well as individual are finding other means and have also made a saving by using courier companies. welcome CWU for saving the general public money during this recession
- Cassandra, uk
"if you claim job seekers allowence 3 days a week you report to local sorting office"
.....and since they cannot security check you to see if you are an ex bank robber or a serial conman, we can assume that great many many items will disappear never to be found again.
We need solutions Terry, not hot air!
- John Smith, Londonistan, Bankrupt Britain, EUSSR
It's just a cheap PR stunt.
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Terry Chambers, London:
"...you will no the area and streets..."
It looks like you'd fail the aptitude test to become a postie.
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Lets get one thing straight. The government..{Our trusted government}..promised their EU friends that they would privatise the Royal Mail. Most people do not agree with this. So the government use their puppet management to make the work force disgruntled. So much so that they now go on strike. This causes a bit of a problem to Royal mail customers who predictably will blame the Unions and the workers...Usually because they don't have the intelliegence to see beyond the photos of those picket lines. The public will then hopefully, in the government's eyes, change their stance on privatisation and may in fact demand it to deal with those "evil" worker types.
Don't forget this action was called for by a ballot of the workers, as is the law now. At least these workers have got the gumption to stand up and fight for their rights...Something that is sorely missing across Great Britain these days in ALL walks of life.
Blame the government for this current strife and not the workers.
- Mark H, London, England
Wise thinking by Royal Mail Management; to refuse to pay staff overtime to clear backlogs of mail; perhaps they could use Taxis all the time to deliver mail, they could cover the increased costs of this, by raising the price of future mail, to £10 a letter?
Or likewise; Management could swop places with post office workers full time; and let the post office workers run the management side full time etc.
But that would probably not work, as Management would end up going on strike, for secure jobs and pensions etc; plus a large rise in wages back to their Management high levels etc?
As for all Christmas card mail over Christmas; I think it is better not to send any cards at all; just donate your card costs, and postage costs, to any charity you like, that will do more Christian good for everyone?
- Mickinlondon, london
Good for them. They are desperately trying save the jobs of the people out on strike.
Socialism at it's best.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
And Joe Public in the middle (again)Personally I do not care care if the Royal Mail goes bust. I have PC.
- Grim Reaper, Hell
So I assume that this is going to be another excuse for Royal Mail to increase the price of a postage stamp?
10/10 for their well meaning gesture, but as usual I bet it will be Joe Public who will pay the taxi fares and the senior managers expense claims.
- Chris Richards, Chelmsford Essex
Can we have some details please? what are they in conflict over?
- Mr Opinion, London
I'd be careful here. Taxis are covered by the RMT.
- Anthony, Esher, Surrey
(solution) if you claim job seekers allowence 3 days a week you report to local sorting office
(Job) you deliver mail around the area you live as you will no the area and streets post delivered on time payment your full weeks job seekers allowance
- Terry Chambers, London
