Clevedon posties to strike next week
POSTMEN in Clevedon and Yatton will walk out on strike next week.
Some 170 workers at three Somerset Royal Mail delivery offices, Clevedon, Yatton and Bridgwater, are to stage 24 hour strikes on Saturday, July 11, in protest at unagreed cuts in jobs and duties.
The postmen and women, CWU members of the Bristol and District Branch, are in the first line of protests.
Some 2,500 other Bristol Royal Mail workers are currently balloting for strike action over similar issues, and if these ballots are successful, could lead to an 'angry summer', with thousands taking action in offices all over Bristol and Somerset, including the huge distribution depot at Severn Beach, and Patchway's Bristol Mail Centre.
Dave Chapple, branch chairman, said: "Thanks to the British people, Royal Mail will remain in public ownership for the forseeable future. That battle-if not the war- has been won.
"All Royal Mail workers want now is to be treated with respect by their employer: right now that means a pay rise, retention of decent pension benefits, a shorter working week, and, locally, an end to the continued loss of duties, and reduction of full time jobs to part-time or casual ones.
"Royal Mail workers in the Bristol and Plymouth branches are leading this fight for dignity and respect in our region.
"If the employer doesn't respond, in Bristol, Plymouth, London and elsewhere, a national Royal Mail strike will be on the cards."
Comments
by Taxpayer, Clevedon
Sunday, July 05 2009, 10:58PM
“Time to all use e-mail then, and stick to it. We pay enough for this non-service as it is, our business never gets post in the morning before 1pm now.
I am sure there are plenty of people who would be glad of the job, after all they don't start delivering early now, and the sorting office at Nailsea, close by our office is clear of staff almost by 3pm! Mugs game - and we are the mugs!”