Postal strike: Wildcat action continues in Liverpool

Oct 11 2007

Wildcat strikes by postal workers linked to a bitter row over jobs, pay and pensions increased today as fresh attempts were made to resolve the mail dispute.

Several thousand workers in London and Liverpool were said to be taking unofficial industrial action for a second day in protest at new shift patterns.

The Royal Mail said 30 sites out of 1,500 were affected, adding that more than 97% of its staff were back at work following an official 48-hour stoppage by the Communication Workers Union (CWU).

That strike ended at 3am yesterday, but workers walked out again after being told their shift times had been changed.

The two sides resumed talks today in a bid to resolve the long-running row and head off another wave of strikes from next Monday.

In Liverpool, the wildcat strike escalated from yesterday’s 10 sorting offices to 17 across Merseyside, with feelings said to be running high among workers.

CWU official Mark Walsh said: “The staff came into work and were told that their starting hours had been changed and they would not be paid for some time and they would be expected to stay later at the end of the day.

“These changes had been imposed on the staff without their agreement and they decided of their own accord not to go to work today.”

In the Commons, Shadow Business Secretary Alan Duncan accused ministers of “lacking the will or direction” to put an end to the postal strike.

“Ministers are completely lacking any sense of will or direction in ending this devastating strike that is hurting hundreds of thousands of businesses and consumers alike.

“Put simply there is no urgency in trying to bring the postal strike to an end. Where is the leadership from this Government and where is the desire to make Britain work better? Business needs ministers who will take a lead, not ministers who baulk at making the big decisions.”

Business Secretary John Hutton said in the Commons that the offer made to Royal Mail staff was a “decent and fair one” and he hoped the dispute would end as “quickly as possible”.

The Prime Minister yesterday told the workers there was “no justification” for the dispute continuing and said they should get back to work.

Mr Hutton told MPs: “I am not going to intervene, for example, to provide further funding to support a different offer to Royal Mail staff.

“We have given the Royal Mail substantial investment. It must operate within those investments and make sure that the taxpayer gets a return on those investments.

“The offer that has been made to Royal Mail staff is a decent and a fair one and I hope that this industrial dispute ends as quickly as possible.”

Labour MP John McDonnell today tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament, calling on the Prime Minister to intervene personally in the dispute.

Mr McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington, said the postal service was vital for many communities and critical for businesses.

“As the sole shareholder and owner of Royal Mail the Government cannot just stand by and do nothing.

“The union has demonstrated its willingness to negotiate a settlement but the management remains intransigent.

“I am calling on the Prime Minister to recognise his responsibility and intervene to bring all sides together to secure a resolution of the dispute.”

Natalie Evans, head of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Businesses are in a state of flux. The postal service is still not operating properly and these wildcat strikes are merely compounding the situation.

“The CWU needs to recognise the damage it is causing the economy and get its members back to their jobs.”

The CWU said later that it welcomed an Early Day Motion by Labour MP John Grogan (Selby), which was supported by more than 40 MPs.

The motion calls for the Government to intervene in the dispute and use its efforts to assist a resolution to the issues, as well as carrying out a review of competition, which the union agreed with.

“The Government is the shareholder, holds the purse strings and has a responsibility to intervene to achieve a positive resolution. Many of the problems in the industry are as a direct result of political errors, including opening up the market to competition without understanding the impact as well as the ongoing pensions deficit,” the union said in a statement.

“The Government is representing an inaccurate position on the subject of funding of Royal Mail. The £2 billion referred to by the Secretary of State yesterday is not a subsidy, but a loan.

“This loan is to be repaid at a high level of interest and places a further burden of financial restraint on the business. The CWU is continuing to work hard towards achieving an agreement. Negotiations are continuing today,” it said.