postal service

Maintenance workers at Royal Mail sites are to begin a three day strike over “draconian” attacks on working conditions.

Collections drivers at the York mail centre struck during the afternoon shift yesterday over disciplinary action being taken against a colleague. A Royal mail spokesman claimed that 30 workers walked out at 1.30 pm, leading to managers covering their duties, collecting mail from postboxes and businesses around the city.

Mail into and out of Victoria was also be affected by the snap strike by mail workers at the Dandenong letters processing centre, which normally is staffed by up to 1200 people. The workers walked off the job yesterday afternoon over the loss of special Sunday shifts that took about $160 out of their pay packets.

Accident and Emergency staff carried out a mass sick day strike at San Fernando General Hospital on the 16th of April in protest at overcrowding. Overcrowding has gotten so bad at the hospital, that the asthma room, a room supposed to be dedicated for those awaiting emergency asthma treatment, is being used as a holding bay for those awaiting hospital beds.

Unions have rejected the postal group's plan to overhaul its pensions scheme and are poised to ballot nearly 150,000 members over whether they back the plan or not.

Just outside of Paris at the Areva TD factory in Montrouge, 89 striking workers have been occupying and blockading the factory for four days.The movement began after management announced plans to close the factory, which produces electrical transformers. Workers are demanding large compensation payments, management is currently refusing to negotiate.

Workers, with the support of the SUD and CGT unions have given notice of an unlimited strike to begin Monday.

Beginning on the morning of March 18, the strike had been precipitated by months of stalling by union leaders and government officials. With no rights to collective bargaining, and having not seen wages increase between 1967 and 1969, anger amongst postal workers had been simmering for years.

The 100 strikers, member of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), are refusing to deliver mail until at least 16th January following a meeting between workers. The extension came ahead of talks between the union and Royal Mail.