Pay 2007

A 'Summer of Discontent', Gordon Brown preaching pay restraint, union leaders talking about 'co-ordinated strike action', sound familiar? It should, because exactly the same things were being said last year.

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.

The two day strike called by PCS members working for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), follows the imposition of a below inflation pay offer which sees the lowest paid receiving increases which take their wage to only 24 pence above the minimum wage and approximately 40% of staff set to receive a 0% pay increase next year.

The vote was on a 64% turnout.

Many workers have reacted angrily to the news, with one employee on Royal Mail Chat stating:

Meatinfo reported that a pay dispute prompted the action, with the union Unite claiming that a 2% pay rise offer was in effect, a pay cut, as inflation stands at 3.9%.

The problem, according to headlines in the mainstream press, was a 2.5% pay rise being offered by Royal Mail to its 190,000 workers, along with some vague problems to do with ‘terms and conditions’.

The reality of what is being faced by the postal workers is far more complex and vastly more damaging, not just for them, but for everyone who wants to be sure of getting their mail.

68% of members voting in the national consultative ballot voted for national strike action as part of the union’s campaign, which has already seen two strongly supported national one day strikes this year. The result is a clear demonstration of PCS members resolve to reach a fair settlement with senior civil service management and the government over jobs, pay and conditions.

Belfast
Postal workers in Belfast have won an important victory against management after unofficial action on Friday of last week. It took the workers just one and a half hours to force down bosses’ attempts to change start times.

Managers insisted that the workforce put forward their start times by two hours.

Citing the low turnout and the close result of the ballot, the UNISON National joint council rejected industrial action by a large vote. The result stood at 51.6% in support of action, with a 24.4% turnout. However, many members did not recieve ballot papers in time - or indeed at all - as a result of the recent postal workers dispute.

CWU bosses Billy Hayes and Dave Ward met with Royal Mail's Adam Crozier and Allan Leighton on the 12th of October, signing a deal just hours after Royal Mail had gained an injunction to prevent further strike action scheduled for the beginning of last week.

The dispute is over pay offer which staff describe as being at half the rate of inflation, and involves admin, conservation and other staff.

Staff at the National Gallery in London also staged strike action over pay in 2006.

The Royal Mail was granted an injunction to stop CWU members at sorting and delivery offices from striking. Royal Mail says an irregularity in the way the strike notice was issued makes the action illegal. The union insisted the strike was legitimate because it fully complied with the law. Rolling strikes similar to those in August were due to start on Monday.

12/10/07 - Reports suggest that the Manpower agency is recruiting casuals during this strike, you may want to print out this pdf and distribute it at your local Manpower branch, or any other agency hiring for Royal Mail.

Almost all offices in North, East, South East and South West London have walked out, along with Liverpool; Edinburgh, Chester, Fife, Livingston, Peterborough, Dalkeith, Bristol, Leicester, Grangemouth, Kilwinning and Kent, also on unofficial strike. Glasgow walked out earlier in the week but have returned to work.

The document, a powerpoint presentation sent to general managers shortly after further strikes were announced in September, outlines Royal Mail's endgames for the talks. It includes a whole range of measures which postal workers said today would destroy the postal service if brought in.

Highlights include:

- No more negotiations with the CWU on every subject at every level

The pre-budget report commits the Treasury to "public pay settlements consistent with the government's achievement of the government's inflation target of 2%" and urges departments to ensure "total pay bills represent value for money and are affordable within departments' overall expenditure plans".

130,000 Communication Workers Union (CWU) members returned to work today after the latest four day strikes, but the introduction of later starts by executive action has led to mass walkouts in Glasgow, Lancaster, Liverpool, and London, with more offices to follow.

Last-minute talks between Royal Mail managers and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) failed to reach a deal, and the strike started at noon. A second two-day strike is scheduled to begin at 3am on Monday, 8 October, after which rolling strikes will occur on a weekly basis with different functions on different days.

The ballot involving 270,000 members working in over 200 different government departments, agencies and non departmental public bodies follows two strongly supported one-day national civil service strikes this year.