ROYAL MAIL'S "YAH BOO SUCKS" TO WORKERS

26-07-2007

Royal Mail is being accused of thumbing its nose at laws designed to protect workers - and they're doing it, critics say, with the connivance of the government.

The claim is being made by the Communications Workers Union, who are fighting plans to close 85 post offices around the country, and incorporate them within branches of WH Smith and other stores.

In this region, branches affected include Erdington, Lichfield, Stafford, and Coventry.

On the face of it, this might seem like a reasonable cost-cutting measure designed to make the business more efficient - and if that’s all it was, no one would be quibbling with it.

But here’s the catch.

The 1300 staff who currently work in the affected Post Offices aren’t being transferred to the new Smith’s branches - they will either be redeployed elsewhere in the company or made redundant.

What possible sense can it make to switch premises without transferring the people who are already trained and experienced in the job?

Simple? They can be replaced by new workers, on lower rates of pay and with worse terms and conditions - and sod the customers who’ll be served by less able staff.

Jim Reeves from the CWU explains: “At the moment people who work for Post Office counters might get in excess of £9 per hour, but their jobs are already being advertised on the WH Smith website at £5.65 per hour.

“If people want their old jobs back they can apply for them, but only if they are willing to take a massive pay cut. They won’t be offered TUPE, which is where you take your existing pay and conditions with you.

“The only way they’ll get that is if they stay with Royal Mail, but that could mean being told to deliver the post, so you can imagine how well that’s going down.”

Reeves was speaking today from the picket line at Royal Mail’s regional centre in Newtown where workers are beginning a fortnight of rolling strike action about pay and conditions.

Their Post Office Counters colleagues commence industrial action on Friday.

“A publicly company in which the only shareholder is the government and is therefore owned by all of us is thumbing its nose at British legislation and workers rights” said Reeves.

“The Post Office is saying ‘yah boo sucks’ to its workers.”

We are awaiting Royal mail’s response.

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