LOCAL NEWSPAPER STORIES HERE PLEASE

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Strikers' plea as 300 take town action

By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner


ALMOST 300 postal workers were on strike in Huddersfield today.

Postal workers across the country were today said to be solidly supporting the first national strike in more than a decade in a bitter row over pay and jobs.

Picket lines were mounted outside sorting offices and mail centres from early morning, crippling deliveries.

In Huddersfield pickets were on duty outside the Royal Mail sorting office in St Peter's Street and claimed 100% support for the industrial action.

The Communication Workers Union said the strikers were receiving strong backing from members of the public for their stand.

The union warned today of a fresh round of industrial actions unless the deadlocked row over a 2.5% pay offer and modernisation plans is resolved.

But the union said it was holding back from naming fresh strike dates for a week in the hope of restarting peace talks and averting further disruption.

Simon Midgley, a spokesman for the CWU in Huddersfield, said the union was anxious to negotiate a settlement.

"But we have been negotiating over pay and conditions for several weeks and Royal Mail simply will not talk.

"They have offered us 2.5% on an average wage of £323 in Huddersfield, but with inflation running at 4.8% that is effectively a pay cut.

"It is also tied in with lots of terms and conditions including new shift patterns and new start times, which could have an impact on many part-time jobs.

"No-one wants to take action and I hope Royal Mail will now come back to the table with fresh talks".

There are fears modernisation plans will lead to 40,000 job losses

The Royal Mail said it was willing to meet the union at any time to spell out the situation it faced, including mounting competition from private firms.

The organisation has stressed it has no more money to improve the pay offer and said it has "no option" other than to modernise.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

dundee telegraph
Sorry about this could someone lump all these Scottish newspaper reports together
Very Glad to say Scotland was UNITED A report from the Dundee Tully



Tayside hit hard by Royal Mail strike


Meadowside Post Office, Dundee, pickets (left to right) Jim Lindsay, Willie Lawson and Tony Sneddon.


Postal deliveries were decimated in Tayside today as almost 1000 Royal Mail staff across the region went out on strike as part of a national dispute over pay (writes Graham Huband).
Support for the action was particularly strong in Dundee with the Communication Workers Union claiming staff at the city’s delivery offices had heeded the walkout out call to a man.
Tony Sneddon, CWU assistant counter secretary based at the General Post Office in Meadowside, said management intransigence had left staff with no option but to take a stance.

A further day of action is scheduled for Monday when postal services are expected to be severely hit once again.

He said, “Basically they want to give us a wage freeze for three years and benchmark us against people who work in the retail trade, such as Woolworths and WH Smith.

“They want us to do all these financial transactions — they are trying to be like a bank — but they are not willing to pay us for it. We don’t want to inconvenience the public, but we have to take a stand.

“I’ve been on the picket since 4am and there are no postal deliveries at all in Dundee — there is 100% support.â€

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Strikers claim solid support
Jun 29 2007 by Michelle Fiddler, Liverpool Echo

POSTAL workers across the country were today said to be solidly supporting the first national strike in more than a decade.

Picket lines were mounted, including outside Liverpool’s Copperas Hill sorting office.

The Communication Workers Union said strikers were backed by the public.

The union warned today of more industrial action unless the pay and conditions row is resolved.

But the union said it was holding back from revealing strike dates for a week in the hope of restarting talks.

At Copperas Hill more than 50 workers were picketing.

Karl Murphy, 39, from Bootle, said: “The idea of us losing 40,000 jobs across the country is unacceptable.

“I know a fella who has worked here for 30 years and when it gets really tight he deliberately goes and picks out all the birthday cards and ensures they are delivered. A machine won’t do that.â€

[doveston]

from the Hull Daily Mail

POSTAL SERVICES DISRUPTED BY STRIKE

29 June 2007



East Yorks: About 600 postal workers in the region were on strike today.

Postal services across East Yorkshire were disrupted as Royal Mail staff conducted their first industrial action in more than 10 years.

At east Hull's Malmo Road sorting office, workers formed a picket line across the gates to protest over pay and jobs.



Mick Whiting, secretary of the Hull and East Riding branch of the Communication Workers' Union, which organised the strike, said: "The 2.5 per cent pay rise is much less than inflation.

"We are also talking about possible 40,000 job losses if modernisation plans go ahead.

"They say modernisation and new investment. But all the management is looking at is reducing their budgets.

"We have no confidence in senior management."

Mr Whiting said only three of about 250 employees based at Malmo Road had turned up for work today.

Nationally, 130,000 members of the Communication Workers' Union took action from the start of 3am shifts.

Last-ditch talks aimed at breaking the deadlock failed on Wednesday evening, leading to warnings that the strike would damage the postal organisation and help its competitors.

Royal Mail recently lost an £8m contract with online retailer Amazon.

Mr Whiting said: "The competition is really damaging us. We are sorry it's had to come to this. There's no way we want to affect the public.

"But the public has to realise that the way the business is going will affect them."

Royal Mail driver Neil Stancliffe, 34, from Sutton Park, said: "All they offer us is 2.5 per cent when gas, electricity and council tax have all gone up.

"The amount of overtime we have to do just to make ends meet is ridiculous.

"A sponge can only take so much water."

But Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier said the strike would damage the business.

He said: "Royal Mail will do all it can to mitigate the impact of strike action but we are very disappointed for our customers at the disruption they are now facing."

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.expressandstar.co.uk/2007/06 ... to-strike/

Posties defy call to strike

More than 270 postal workers in the Black Country and Staffordshire defied the pickets and refused to join around 130,000 colleagues on strike today.

In Wolverhampton, Dudley, Kidderminster and Stourbridge 134 turned up for work. In Sandwell there were 15; Walsall, Cannock and Lichfield 87; and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent 38.

The bitter row over pay and jobs crippled deliveries across the UK today after the Communication Workers Union (CWU) turned down a 2.5 per cent pay offer and rejected Royal Mail’s business plan, claiming it would lead to 40,000 job losses.

The union is demanding postal workers’ pay rise to the national average over the next five years, which Royal Mail says amounts to a 27 per cent increase - a salary leap from £19,000 to £24,000. Royal Mail is investing £1.2 billion in modernisation to stay competitive.

[DGP1]

£19000 I'd love to get that, I suppose more lies by management

[Crackerjackpencil]

19k, is that a week like tweedle dum the wonder ninny...Crikey I'd love a take home like that....Do they just think up a number and stick a nought on the end when they write up this rubbish.

[pillarboxred.]

£19,000 Basic!!! I better get in touch with the wages department because i've under paid !!!

[POSTMAN]

They do it all the time,£19,000 is what i'm on for outer London.
I'm sure there are more people outside London that work in RM than in.

[frankie]

Bristol Evening Post 29/06/07 article by Neil Roberts: Respect Party.

Link http://tinyurl.com/3bsunb

Gordon Brown looks set to begin the first week in is new job facing a battle of his own making.

Today 130,000 Royal Mail workers will stage a national strike over pay, job cuts and attacks on pensions. This will be one of the most important strikes for years- for post workers and for all working people.

Postal workers, along with nurses and other NHS staff and public services workers who keep our valued public services running, are facing below inflation pay rises whick amount to pay cuts.

They are also having their pensions attacked and face the threat of massive job cuts. While Gordon Browns' millionaire private equity mates defend their obscene pay and tax breaks, this government is attacking some of our most valuable but lowest paid workers.

Posties are leading a series of campaigns by public sector workers to defend their conditions and our public services, which if successful will benefit us all. Everyone is sick of rundown services, privatisation, post office closures, attacks in pay and pensions and the hypocrisy of millionaire bosses would gain from a victory by the post workers.

If you use the postal services and value your local postie and our public services, you should support this and furure strikes.

( sorry to be long-winded with this, have'nt a clue how to do a link to paper) Hope you don't mind but I founf page and added link TBT

[TrueBlueTerrier]

STRONG BACKING' FOR POSTAL STRIKE

Link: http://tinyurl.com/2nmzmj

12:11 - 29 June 2007

Postal union leaders in Bristol claimed "phenomenal" support for today's one-day strike which disrupted deliveries across Britain.But the Royal Mail said they were trying to make special deliveries and carry out one collection today.

Members of the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) mounted pickets outside the main Royal Mail sorting office in Filton and at other delivery offices throughout the area during the 24-hour stoppage.

Crown post offices were also hit, with staff taking industrial action until noon. But Royal Mail said they remained open, with managers operating counters.

Up to 130,000 postal workers nationwide were expected to strike over pay and jobs.

Dave Wilshire, CWU Bristol and district branch secretary, said about 98 per cent of the 1,200 staff at Filton were union members.

He said: "Over the last few weeks we've had people joining the union in droves. The strike started at 3am and we've had fantastic support. Even people who are not in the union haven't gone into work.

"We've got about 50 offices in the Bristol area to cover and support has been absolutely phenomenal.

"People don't go on strike for the fun of it. There's a massive strength of feeling and we've always said the object is to reach an agreement.

"There are three disputes here, involving Royal Mail, crown post offices and the cash supply side, and deliveries and collections, as well as post office counters, are going to grind to a halt."

Royal Mail said about 11 per cent of staff turned up for work across the South West, with managers standing in for those on strike.

Royal Mail spokeswoman Jane Thomas said: "We are trying to make some special deliveries and also carrying out one collection today to try to get mail into the system. But we are not making normal deliveries. It's inevitable there will be a knock-on effect for tomorrow but we will get through it as quickly as we can."

CWU members have turned down a 2.5 per cent pay offer and rejected the Royal Mail's business plan, which it claimed would lead to 40,000 job losses. The union wants postal workers' pay rise to the national average over the next five years, which the Royal Mail said amounted to a 27 per cent increase. The CWU is also campaigning to prevent the Royal Mail closing 70 larger post offices and move services into WH Smith stores.

Ms Thomas said: "Royal Mail is extremely disappointed that the union has failed to grasp the need for the business to modernise and embarked on strike action that is damaging for our customers, our people and the company.

"Royal Mail is already losing business because we have not yet modernised and therefore our prices are higher than those that rivals are charging in the intensely competitive business mail market, which makes up 90 per cent of all postings.

"Our people work exceptionally hard and we are very proud of their achievements in recent years, which we have recognised with basic pay increasing by 25 per cent since 2002 and bonus payments totalling £1,500.

"Nonetheless, we do want to further increase pay and rewards for our people. The offer on the table is a fair and realistic one - a 2.5 per cent increase in basic pensionable pay, an £800 dividend if performance targets are hit and a 50-50 share of any savings above budget at local office level

[frankie]

[ROCKY]

well done bristol probably the best ive read so far not brilliant but more facts than the others,mind you this is why i never by a newspaper anymore

[krooserman1802]

[quote="TrueBlueTerrier"]STRONG BACKING' FOR POSTAL STRIKE


"Our people work exceptionally hard and we are very proud of their achievements in recent years, which we have recognised with basic pay increasing by 25 per cent since 2002 and bonus payments totalling £1,500.


Oooh this wont go down well with Leighton and Crozier. Is she admitting that we work extremely hard and because of that the business has recognised the need to increase basic pay??? doesn't this mean that the 20% overpaid statement is really from their own making!!

[evilc]

http://www.expressandstar.co.uk/2007/06 ... to-strike/

Posties defy call to strike

More than 270 postal workers in the Black Country and Staffordshire defied the pickets and refused to join around 130,000 colleagues on strike today.

In Wolverhampton, Dudley, Kidderminster and Stourbridge 134 turned up for work. In Sandwell there were 15; Walsall, Cannock and Lichfield 87; and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent 38.

The bitter row over pay and jobs crippled deliveries across the UK today after the Communication Workers Union (CWU) turned down a 2.5 per cent pay offer and rejected Royal Mail’s business plan, claiming it would lead to 40,000 job losses.

The union is demanding postal workers’ pay rise to the national average over the next five years, which Royal Mail says amounts to a 27 per cent increase - a salary leap from £19,000 to £24,000. Royal Mail is investing £1.2 billion in modernisation to stay competitive.

Just phoned Express & Star and told them these pay figures are wrong, they said that they might be london pay scales, I said if they do not know pay scales for the midlands they should not print anyhting at all.They are looking into it/