Leicester.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Following on from the initial Leicester Mercury article (31 May), there have
been two subsequent write ups which have been reasonably positive.
1
Protest on post office
Leicester Mercury, Sat 2 June 2007 (city final edition)

A protest against plans to move the city's flagship post office into WHSmith
took place today.

Customers and staff were being invited to join the demonstration outside the
city's Bishop Street post office at 10am.

The protest was organised by the Industrial Workers of the World union. As
the demonstration started, about 15 union members gathered outside the post
office and dozens of people signed a pledge to boycott WH Smith in Leicester.

Post Office bosses want to close the main branch and move it to the basement
of the newsagents in Gallowtree Gate.

Stuart Price, from The Industrial Workers of the World, said a public
meeting is being planned about the issue. He said, "People feel very strongly
about this and we have been supported by staff at the branch."

The city council's cabinet has agreed to ask the Post Office to reconsider
its plans. However, the Post Office said, if the branch was not moved,
services could well be lost to the city.

2
Post office protesters urge strore boycott
Leicester Mercury, Mon 4 June

More than 150 people have signed a petition pledging to boycott WHSmith over
plans to relocate Leicester's flagship post office.

Their signatures were collected in a few hours on Saturday during a protest
outside the post office in Bishop Street.

The protest was organised by the Industrial Workers of the World union
(IWW), which is campaigning against the branch's relocation to the basement of
WHSmith, in Gallowtree Gate.

Stuart Price, from IWW, said the union felt a boycott would be the most
effective way of letting bosses at Royal Mail and WHSmith know how strongly
people opposed the move.

He said response to the petition had been "very positive".

Leicester's main post office is one of 76 branches nationwide that are to be
relocated to WHSmith stores.

The Gallowtree Gate branch has started recruiting staff for the post office,
and building work is under way.

Sandra Cutland, 40, from Braunstone, said: "They should keep it where it is."

John McKiernan, 44, of Knighton, Leicester, signed the pledge along with his
mother, Iris.

He said: "Hopefully, with people signing this pledge and sticking by it,
WHSmith will have to listen to what people are saying."

A spokeswoman for WHSmith said people had the chance to raise concerns about
access during the consultation period on the relocation.

She said: "We would be extremely disappointed if they felt boycotting
WHSmith would be the best way of saving the post office and keeping it where it is."

Customers wanting to comment on the proposed changes should write to:
Philippa Wright, National Consultation Manager, Post Office Limited, c/o National
Consultation Team, PO Box 2060, Watford WD18 8ZW.

[IWW Fellow Worker]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8agfPuZN ... ed&search=

An interview with the lad who organised the leafletting in Leicester.